Irish Country Sports and Country Life Magazine Autumn 2013

Volu

me

12 N

umbe

r 3

Aut

umn

2013

£3.

00 /

€5.

00

9 771476 824001

1 2

ON SALE

Until 26th NovemberIrish

COUNTRY SPORTSand COUNTRY LIFE

www.countrysportsandcountrylife.com

THE IRISH GAME FAIR www.irishgaimfair.com

THE IRISH GAME AND COUNTRY FAIRwww.irishgaimandcountryfair.com

demonstrated conclusively that they areIreland’s premier game and country fairswe are delighted to announce our 2014dates and to announce that with manynew attractions planned for both fairs –they will be bigger and better than ever.

Great Game Fairs of Ireland 2014Following a year when the

GREAT GAME FAIRS of IRELAND

SHANES CASTLE, ANTRIM 28TH & 29TH JUNE 2014

BIRR CASTLE, CO OFFALY 23RD & 24TH AUGUST 2014For Further details: Call 028 (from ROI 048)

44839167/44615416 Email : [email protected]

Managing Editor: Albert Titterington, ROI Editor: Derek Fanning, NI Editor: Paul Pringle, Associate Editor: Irene Titterington

Sales and Marketing: Paul Robinson

Publishers: (Editorial & Advertising) Country Lifestyle Exhibitions Ltd. Cranley Hill, 5b Woodgrange Road, Hollymount , Downpatrick BT30 8JE Tel: (028) (from ROI 048) 44839167

Email: [email protected] [email protected] URL http://www.countrysportsandcountrylife.com

ROI Office: Derek Fanning

Printed by W.&G.Baird Distributed by Easons (Dublin), E M Distribution Also Available by Subscription ISSN No. 1476-8240

The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or the publishers. Whilst every care is taken to ensure that information published is accurate and reliable, thepublishers cannot be held responsible or accept liability for any errors or omissions in this pubication. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the owner. No liability isaccepted for the safe custody of unsolicited materials and manuscripts. Publication of accepted articles is not always guaranteed and the publishers will not be held liable for any manuscripts,photographs or other materials lost or damaged while in their possession, although every care will be taken. The editor reserves the right to amend any such articles as necessary.

Published in association with Ireland’s country sports and country living web portal http://www.countrysportsandcountrylife.com

Cover: ‘Covey Up’ – from apainting by Owen Williams

4 ROI Comment

5 Northern Comment

6 Countryside News

30 Obituary - Philip Lawton aka 'Plus Twos'

34 Dan Kinney - Soul Searching

35 Mountstewart Game - From Field to Table

38 Peter Smith - Ireland’s Gundog Supremacy at CLA

42 Inaugural English Setter Stake in Ulster Much Anticipated - ‘Glynlark’

46 Record Breaking - The Great Game Fairs of Ireland 2013 Soar to New Levels

56 A Flavoursome Feast - The Flavour Fine Food Festival at Shanes

58 Ness Porter Tells the Tale of Troy 'The Bionic Dog'

61 Behind the Scenes - A Year in the Life of Top Director/Film Maker Harry Cook

65 D-Day Seventy Years Later with Frank Brophy

68 Most Decorated War Hero’s Purdey Auctioned - But Who Was DeWiart?

72 Your First Dog’s Something Special says Dr Anthony O’Halloran

76 Art and Antiques with Michael Drake

79 What's the point? Mark Corps Examines Ireland's Angling

84 FISSTA’s News and Views

89 Michael McGlynn Takes Us Shooting in Argentina

92 Recreational Angling Study Timely and Persuasive says Edward Fahy

95 Hydro Schemes - The British HydropowerAssociation’s Chairman Responds

98 Michael Martin Reflects on Summer’s Silver Ingots

102 DCAL’s Salmon Conservation Update

103 Magical Moments - Young John Smyth’s First Salmon

106 Derek Fanning Goes Mink Hunting In North Cork

110 Tom Fulton’s Hunting Roundup

114 Linda Mellor’s Sunny Outlook for the Scottish Shooting Season

118 Manna and Quail by Sporting ReverendsStephen & Jennifer McWhirter

120 Kaboom! David Hudson Tries Grouse with a Muzzleloader

124 ‘Glynlark’ Goes Trialling Setters and Pointers in Scotland

130 ‘Til You Are Cooked Yourself’ - Steven McGonigal’s Countrysports Childhood

134 Johnny Woodlock’s Three Firsts For Cork

137 Margaret McStay - Dog Shows & Racing

143 Original and Best - The 26th All Ireland Terrier, Whippet & Lurcher Championships

145 AJ’s Angst

The online version of the magazine will be updated monthly. Visit www.countrysportsandcountrylife.com/Magazine

It is with some trepidation that I am writing thisfirst editorial for ICS&CL because I am following

in the footsteps of Philip Lawton, who was sohighly respected not least by everyone involved incountry sports. However, it is a great honour andprivilege to do so and I look forward to workingclosely with the whole editorial team.

Microchipping - fears need to be easedI was in contact recently with the Hunting

Association of Ireland and they told me of a few issueswhich are currently dominating the landscape in therealm of Irish fieldsports. The HAI told me that a majornew feature in the landscape is the recentannouncement of compulsory microchipping of alldogs by Minister of Agriculture Simon Coveney TD, inthe newly enacted Animal Health & Welfare Act.

Nearly all of us in the hunting community supportreasonable measures to enhance the welfare, securityand traceability of our hounds, but many are concernedthat this new policy will become a pretext to loadunsustainable costs on to hunt clubs and working dogowners. The Minister needs to ease people’s fears here.He should tell us that microchipping will be applied ina cost-effective way which will acknowledge thevoluntary and not-for-profit nature of our field sports.

Microchipping is a simple and straightforwardprocedure and does not require yards of red tape,permits or exorbitant payments to ensure it is donecorrectly.

Another concern is that the data harvested will notbe used for any purposes other than those defined inthe legislation. Groups or individuals with stated anti-hunting agendas should not be given access to data thatmight include the personal details of those in the

hunting community. Robust data protection controlsmust pertain at all stages.

Hunt Clubs On a separate and more upbeat note, hunting lovers

have been encouraged by the increasing popularity ofdog shows and family fun days run by hunt clubs asannual fundraisers. Chairman of the HAI, PhilipDonnelly, told me that he attended just such an eventin Kilkenny recently, at the fabled kennels of theKilkenny Foxhounds in Mount Juliet. It was wellorganised with lots of competitions for foxhounds,beagles, lurchers, terriers and pet dogs. “With thesunny weather,” commented Philip, “the hum of theburger vans diesel generators and the happy laughterof children on pony rides, this scene presented itself asan idyllic reminder of times past in Ireland when lifewas less complicated, the mobile phone had yet to beinvented and Sky Sports was something you did in anaeroplane. What better way to spend a Sundayafternoon than in the company of ordinary countryfolk with a shared love of field sports? I am sure theshades of Ikey Bell and Major McAlmont were gazingdown in approval.” (IKey Bell was Master andhuntsman of the Galway Blazers from 1903 to 1908. Hewas one of the most renowned Masters and breeders ofhounds in the 20th Century. Major McAlmont was anacclaimed huntsman of the Kilkenny Hunt).

Congratulations are also due to the Irish Masters ofFoxhounds Associations, the Cosby family of StradballyHall and the Laois Foxhounds’ David Lalor for organisingan outstanding renewal of the National Hound Show inJuly this year. A record number of foxhound packsshowed on the day, which coincided with the start of theheatwave. There were lots of exciting equestrian eventstoo. Well done to all and sundry.

4 Autumn 2013 Countrysports and Country Life

Country Sports and Country Life RoI Comment

New FacesA warm welcome to my

old friend Derek Fanningwho is already well knownto readers of this magazine.As some will know, Derek isa larger than life characterwho is as at home on ahorse or following onbeagles as he is with ashotgun at clays or roughshooting. A man ofprodigious writing talent heis unafraid to tackle issuesaffecting country sportshead on and I have no doubt we all look forward to seeingin his perception of many of the crucial matters pertainingto countrysports in the Republic of Ireland, as well ascontinuing to enjoy his articles.

I am also delighted to welcome top Scottish writer andphotographer Linda Mellor as a contributor to IrishCountry Sports & Country Life. Linda is a real countrysports enthusiast who is as enthusiastic with her 12 boreon the moors, as she is photographing and writing aboutthe Scottish countrysports scene which she knows so well.

Readers of some other quality fieldsports magazineswill have seen her work before and it I know that ourreaders in Ireland and throughout the world will bedelighted with what she has in store for us.

Another first for the magazine is an article with adifference on goose shooting in Scotland, by theReverends Stephen & Jennifer McWhirter. The term‘sporting parson’ is part and parcel of countrysports downthe years and many will remember with fondness theinimitable Canon Dermot Griffiths from Killyman ofinternational English Pointer fame. I met the couple at theShanes Castle Press launch in June and was immediatelytaken by their deep knowledge and love of thecountryside and countrysports. They were representingStephen’s brother Simon from the Scout Shop which withCountryside Alliance Ireland had sponsored an excellentcompetition for Scouts in archery and airgunning atShanes and I was delighted to learn that Stephen has beenattending the Game Fair since back in the days ofClandeboye as a child with his Dad. Stephen and Jen bothplayed an active part on the Scout Shop stand at Shanesand said that they hadn’t enjoyed any fair as much.

We have a huge readership online and with Irishreaders travelling increasingly to sample Scottishcountrysports and Scots reading both hard copy andonline versions, so we have decided to include a regular

Scottish section. There’s ataste of what’s to come inthis issue with our newcontributors and we canpromise more articles andfeatures in future editions.

Big Brother - not inNorthern Ireland it’sconfirmed

Now there were somedisturbing reports in themedia around the start ofAugust regarding therelationship in GB between

the ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) and the RSPCA,which allowed the RSPCA to access information held onthe Police National Computer (PNC). The PNC holds largeamounts of information about people who have beenconvicted, cautioned or arrested but also holdsinformation on vehicles, the registered keeper of a vehicleand firearms licensing.

Countryside Alliance (CA) were very quick to act withthe Executive Chairman, Barney White-Spunner writing tothe Information Commissioner who deals with issues ofinformation sharing, making it clear that he believedthere was no legal basis for agreements between ACRO,the police and the RSCPA.

The CA said the RSPCA was neither a public body, nor astatutory prosecutor and was unaware of any primarylegislation naming the RSPCA which allowed for datasharing for purposes of criminal investigation andprosecution. CA added that they considered it sinister thata campaigning charity, which has shown itself to have aclear and politicised animal rights agenda, increasinglyused against members of our community, could have suchaccess to such information. In CA’s view, this access couldpose serious risks to individuals about whom informationis gathered and we await urgent advice from theInformation Commissioner.

Now the good news for Northern Ireland. CAI hasconfirmed that in fact the law is different here underanimal welfare and the USPCA cannot act as sole authorityon investigating animal welfare reports, having actuallylost the contract when new laws passed. And I have nodoubt that CAI will continue to monitor the situationclosely to ensure that the GB model does not occur here.Well done to all concerned.

Paul PringleNorthern Editor

Countrysports and Country Life Autumn 2013 5

Country Sports and Country Life Comment


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Derek Fanning appointedICS&CL Republic of

Ireland Editor

Derek Fanning, a regular contributor to the magazine, is 42years of age and lives in Birr, County Offaly where he puts

the bread on the table by working as a journalist for local paperThe Midland Tribune.

He has been a keen hunting man for many years, sincehis early 20s. He foxhunts on horseback every weekendusually with the Ormond Foxhounds (who are based inNorth Tipperary and South Offaly) and is also a keenbeagler venturing out most Sundays during the seasonoften with the Balgarrett Beagles in Westmeath. Duringthe summer he goes mink hunting in County Cork andhe also loves falconry, heading out to hunt pheasantsand rabbits with friends who own peregrines andgoshawks. He enjoys clay pigeon shooting andoccasional rough shooting.

Unlike the NI Editor, he isn’t a regular angler but, as he isfully aware of the campaigning stance this magazinetakes on angling and water issues, is more than keen toliaise with the angling community. In summary, he has akeen love of all country sports and enjoys reading andwriting about all field sports and will be a huge asset toa team of country sports people who produce amagazine for country sports people.

A real coup - Linda Mellor joins the team.

A warm welcome to topScottish author and

photographer Linda Mellor

Linda was born in Fife and has a lifelong passion forfieldsports. As a child she accompanied her father

when training his gundogs, pigeon shooting, beating andpicking up on local shooting estates. As an establishedprofessional photographer Linda considers herself veryfortunate to be able to unite her passion for shooting andphotography by specialising in Scottish fieldsports.

During the summer months Linda enjoys clay shootingand dawn roe buck stalks. And as you will read in herScottish sporting feature in this edition, she shot her firstgrouse over pointers high up on the hills of Drumochter.During the shooting season Linda is kept busy with hercamera out on driven and walked up days and alsoplans to do some red and roe deer stalking and shootingpheasant locally in Fife.

She really enjoys sharing her passion and respect forthe countryside through writing and by using herphotography to positively illustrate countrysports. As shesays herself: “After all, how empty would our lives be ifwe couldn’t experience the joy of our wild open spaces,a fine day’s sport and tasty locally grown organicfood?”

In the saddle - New ROI Editor Derek Fanning.

Discover more at

College Green

Dubarry Flagship

Store

To Dame Street

Main Gates of Trinity

College

O’Connell Street

Bank of Ireland

GraftonStreet

Dubarry Flagship Store35 College Green,

Dublin 2Ireland

Where will you go in yours?

Scan to upload store location to Google maps

DUBARRY and DUBARRY & SHIELD DEVICE are registered trademarks of Dubarry Shoemakers Limited. GORE-TEX®, GORE-TEX GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY, GORE and designs are registered trademarks of WL Gore & Associates.

8 Summer 2013 Countrysports and Country Life

COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

The new SWAROVSKI OPTIK CL Pocket binoculars offer outstandingoptical performance and viewing comfort guaranteeing a quality

that is unique among compact binoculars -100% binoculars, with nocompromise.

The compact Pocket binoculars are oneof SWAROVSKI OPTIK’s most successfulproducts. They have evolved into faithful,reliable companions for leisure activitiessuch as walking, travelling, or hunting,Based on this successful product,SWAROVSKI OPTIK has now created thenew CL Pocket binoculars from scratch,adapting them to today’s customerdemands and uses. The result is aperfect companion for hunters, thebest optical quality from SWAROVSKIOPTIK, and a compact design, allrolled into one.

CL Pocket binoculars offer uniqueoptical quality of the highest order inthe compact range. When foldedup, CL Pocket are compactbinoculars, but, open them up, andyou have 100% binoculars with nocompromise. High-contrast, sharp,colour-true images provide unforgettable viewingexperiences, while the large field of vision and 100% suitability foreyeglass wearers ensure comfortable observation. The CL Pocket

binoculars are perfect for hunters who particularly appreciate acompact size, a lightweight design, and considerable viewingcomfort, but who are unwilling to compromise on optical qualitywhen observing their prey or attempting to sight it properly.

Ergonomic and easyAn ergonomic, robust design with aluminium

housing ensures stable operation andoptimum viewing comfort. CL Pocketbinoculars are intuitive to use, which, alongwith their outstanding optical andmechanical performance, was the keyprerequisite when developing them. They arealso an ideal spare pair. CL Pocket binocularscan even be an aid for driven or safari hunts.They are also the perfect companion for thewhole family for leisure activities outside thehunting season, for instance, while hiking,walking or traveling. They are also a natural giftchoice for hunting enthusiasts.

Compact dimensions thanks to the product’sfoldable design

The foldable bridge design means you can takethem everywhere with you. The 8x25 and 10x25binoculars, available in black, green, or sand-brown,will be available from our authorised retailers fromSeptember 2013.

The new compact SWAROVSKI OPTIK CLPocket binoculars: small outside - big inside

Russetrock VizslasTop Quality, Working, Short Haired, Hungarian VizslaPups for sale. Parents excellent in the field, bothcan be seen. Docked, clawed, chipped, wormed,vaccinated, registered and ready to go.

Contact Eugene +353 (0)86 8315998

Now OfferGundog Training by Ryan McKnight

• Gundog training including peg dogs• 'One to One' training for dog and handler

• Dogs can be kennelled during training• Low hip scored dogs at stud

For Further Details contact Ryan:[email protected] 07703 632 933

www.gunnarahlabradors.co.uk

THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS CRYSTAL CLEAR VISION. PRECISE MEASURING.

THE NEW EL RANGE FINDING BINOCULAR

The EL Range sets new standards: Uncompromising high-resolution observations with 91% transmission on both sides combined with precise

range and angle measurement based on the unique SWAROAIM technology. The intuitive handling and its weight of less than 900 g

turns the EL Range into the ideal hunting partner of the future.

SEE THE UNSEENWWW.SWAROVSKIOPTIK.COM

SWAROVSKI U.K. LTD.Perrywood Business Park, SalfordsSurrey RH1 5JQTel. 01737-856812facebook.com/swarovskioptik

BY APPOINTMENT TOHER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

SWAROVSKI OPTIKSUPPLIER OF BINOCULARS


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Men’s Sporting CollectionFirm favourites, the Sporting Featherweight and Sporting Ultimate 3 in

1 are joined by last season’s newcomer the Sporting FeatherweightClimate for Autumn Winter 13 as Barbour ensures continuity in theirsporting offering. Innovation and newness comes with the SportingAllrounder, designed to be multi-functional.

The Sporting Featherweight is Barbour’s lightest shooting jacket ever,offering complete protection from the elements. Ideal for early seasonshooting because it is so lightweight, it also works well in the coldermonths when used in combination with a fleece waistcoat. Shoulderstitching prevents slippage of the gun and the articulated shoulderensures plenty of freedom of movement. Large bellows pockets offereasy access to cartridges. Versatile and practical, it’s the one jacketyou don’t want to be without.

The Sporting Ultimate 3 in 1, Barbour’s signature shooting jacket, offersthe best protection against any weather. Designed to give completelyunrestricted swing, it has a removable microfleece waistcoat whichcan be worn separately or underneath the jacket making it truly ajacket for all seasons. Large bellows pockets, fleece lined hand warmerpockets and spandex lycra cuffs and a drawstring for foul weatherprotection make this a good all round jacket.

The Sporting Featherweight Climate, first introduced in 2012, offersan alternative shooting jacket. Made from a tough and robust GORE-TEX® Ripstop outer, this is an extreme weather coat. Lined with a softand warm fleece for warmth, the jacket is very lightweight while stillretaining excellent freedom of movement. It has the added bonus ofbeing machine washable – perfect after a muddy day in the field.

New for the season is the Sporting Allrounder – multi functional inpurpose, it’s a smart, cleanly designed waterproof jacket with largebellows and hand warmer pockets and adjustable Velcro cuffs. Forthose looking for a practical no nonsense jacket that does the job, theSporting Allrounder fits the bill.

With the unpredictable British weather, layering is key and this season,Barbour offers a choice of quilts, gilets, knitwear in co-ordinating coloursand practical Tattersall and check shirts to suit all occasions.

The stand out quilt is the new Sporting Quilt. With a sporting raglansleeve, four pocket zip through front quilted jacket, the Sporting Quilt

comes with hand warmer and large pockets and lycra wind cuffs. Itoffers an excellent choice to those who want an all round versatile quilt.

The Sports Fleece waistcoat and Sports Wool waistcoat, offer newlayers designed to be worn on their own or underneath a jacket inchillier weather. Smart enough to wear over a shirt or sweater, bothfleeces come with neat alcantara binding around the hem andarmholes and two handy pockets.

Tweeds continue to be a popular choice and this season, Barbourretains its refined Sporting Tweed and Houndstooth tweed in a choiceof jackets, breeks, waistcoat and trousers. Lightweight, warm andwaterproof with all the functionality you would expect from Barbour,these garments are also machine washable - very useful during a busyshooting season.

Ladies CollectionThis season, Barbour focuses on shooting outfits for the stylish lady

who not only wants functionality but insists on style. Complementingthis collection is Barbour Country – outfits designed for those who enjoythe outdoors and spend their time spectating at events such as pointto points or a day at the races.

Ladies Sporting CollectionThe ladies Sporting collection offers functionality in tweeds, wools and

warming layers. There’s a new sporting tartan and co-ordinatedknitwear that takes its colours from the tweeds.

New to Autumn Winter 13 is the Dentdale jacket and matchingTeesdale breek. The Dentdale is a waterproof breathable tweed withsmart leather trims. With large bellows pockets, it comes with articulatedsleeves for excellent freedom of movement. The matching breeks havecomfortable elastication to the cuffs and leather trim to the pockets.The Weardale waistcoat accompanies the set with leather gun patchesand neoprene removable pads for extra comfort when shooting.

In the same British Mallalieus tweed as its shooting counterparts, theDentdale jacket and Teesdale breek is the Clover blazer, waistcoat,trouser and skirt. Simply designed and tailored, these garments can beworn together or separately for an elegant sophisticated look that isideal for any sporting occasion.

Barbour Extends Its Sporting Collection This Season

Now in stock, Barbour’s new Autumn Winter sporting collection for men and women.

Sporting Allrounder MWB0405OL51

www.barboursporting.comFor your nearest stockist visit

Smyths Country Sports, 1 Park Street, Coleraine BT52 1BD028 7034 3970

Courtlough Shooting Grounds, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, Ireland 00 353 18413096


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Northern Irish-reared kite breeds for first timeBig news coming from County Down this spring was that, for the first

time, a red kite which has been born and reared here has beenconfirmed breeding. Although red kites have bred successfully inNorthern Ireland since 2010, up until now, all breeding birds have beenfrom the 80 wild- born kites which were brought over from Wales andreintroduced between 2008 and 2010. It hasn’t been until this year,when Brown / White 34 was found to have bred at a site on thesouthern edges of the Mournes, that this milestone has been confirmed.

First wild WTE chicks in 110 years!Great news from our project partner, the Golden Eagle Trust. Two wild

White-tailed Eagle chicks have successfully fledged in Ireland for thefirst time in over 110 years. Three pairs of WTE attempted to breed inCounties Kerry and Clare this year. One pair failed during incubationand another, which nested in Killarney National Park, hatched at leastone chick. Sadly, shortly before it was due to fledge, the chick died asa result of the nest collapsing, most likely due to the nest material(vegetation, sods and dead branches) dried out and shrinking duringthe long, dry spell of weather in July. The third, and successful pair,nested at Mountshannon in Co. Clare. This is the same pair which madehistory in 2012 when they nested for the first time, although they failedto hatch chicks during that attempt.

Summary of 2013 breeding seasonIn stark contrast to last spring when we basked in warm, summer-like

conditions, this year we experienced an extremely cold spring, withaverage temperatures for March barely hitting 2.5°C. These conditionswere exacerbated by south Down experiencing the heaviest snow fallin living memory; 4 to 6 feet of snow created a white blanket acrossthe countryside and drifts of up to 18 feet were commonplace in ‘KiteCountry’ for several weeks.

By mid-April, 10 of the 13 pairs from 2012 had been recorded backon their respective territories, with seven using the same nests as lastyear. Three pairs moved, namely Black I and Black S, relocating backto the nest they used in 2010 and 2011; Pink n and Blue 12 shifting 3kmfrom a nice oak-wood valley to a larch at the edge of CastlewellanForest Park and Black G and Pink w moving for the third year in a row

from the grounds of an old Victorian house to a conifer plantation.Three new nests were located in 2013, with a nest being found north ofthe Dromara Hills and south of the Mourne Mountains for the first time,expanding the known nesting range north and south by 5km and 14kmrespectively. The third new pair was found to be nesting right under ournoses, less than a kilometre from the original holding pens.Unfortunately, all three new pairings failed, with the female from thepair near Castlewellan being recovered dead on two eggs. PSNIofficers attended the scene and seized the carcass for toxicology,which confirmed the presence of the banned substance,alphachloralose, in the stomach contents. The nests which wereultimately successful were all established pairs from previous years, withthree of them being from the pioneering nesting cohort of 2010. Eventhough the number of successful nests has fallen from ten to seven,thankfully this year the number of chicks per successful nest hasincreased to 2.0 (2x1, 3x2 and 2x3), which has resulted in a similarnumber of chicks fledging to last year.

In total, 18 territorial pairs were recorded across Co. Down, with 14nests being located. Half of these failed and the remaining sevenhatched 14 young, all of which were tagged, including the young froma nest which had been unreachable in 2012. The first fledged youngwere recorded on 8 July, when I saw Yellow 1N and at least one of itssiblings taking their first, tentative flights. Although this brood were notthe oldest, I suspect having three large chicks in a relatively small nest,in very warm conditions, led to these birds being the first to confrontthe big, bad world.

Northern Ireland Red Kite News - Summer 2013

The Coverdale waistcoat and breek are in Barbour’s new sporting tartan inrich greens, blues and reds. Tailored and smart to wear, the waistcoat andbreeks are beautifully made and add a touch of elegance when combinedwith co-ordinated knits or shirts.

Knitwear picks up the colours from the tweeds in soft merino wool andcashmere adding a fine layer of warmth and style under a gilet or jacket. TheDentdale and Birkdale shirts are purposefully designed for shooting witharticulated sleeves for easy freedom of movement. The Dentdale with grandadcollar and feminine detailing with pin tucks, picks up the sporting tartan in thecollar and cuffs. The Birkdale in crisp white cotton comes with a classic sit downcollar and again takes the tartan to cuffs and collar.

Barbour CountryNew to Autumn Winter 13 is Barbour Country. Designed with the outdoors

lady in mind, Barbour Country is full of stylish outfits to be worn at country eventsor just out dog walking. The Beagle jacket, designed by Head of BarbourSporting, Helen Barbour and based on her own research of what dog walkersrequire from a jacket, is packed with features. It includes a whistle pocket,removable pocket linings and d-rings to attach your lead. Belted with largepockets, it’s the ultimate dog walking coat.

The Iris Quilt is a smart, country inspired quilted jacket trimmed in tweed andlined in classic tartan. In a very flattering shape, it is both practical and stylish.

Tweed is represented with the Thornton blazer, waistcoat and trouser whichoffer a smart well cut tailored outfit that is timelessly classic and will never be outof place. For a longer coat that goes well with boots and trousers, the Foxglovecoat is one piece every wardrobe should not be without. Beautifully cut in BritishWool Mallalieus Tweed, it comes with leather welted pocket flaps and mockhorn branded buttons for an ultra sophisticated look.

The Lavender shirt with a new all over print picks up the colours of thecollection and accessories include a country silk square scarf and daisy legwarmers in lambswool.

You. Mind wide open.Who could have thought that escaping your comfort zone would be so comfortable? But with the All-New Volvo V40 Cross Country, that’s exactly how you will feel. Steep roads are easy roads with optional All-Wheel Drive and Hill Descent Control while the 254hp engine means the road is yours to conquer. And when you introduce bulked-up wheels and a heightened driving position, you’ll be in command no matter what road you choose to travel. So, who’s intimidated by far away roads? Not you, that’s for sure.

Volvocars.com

The New Volvo V40 Cross Country.

Greers of Antrim 62 Greystone Road, Antrim 028 9446 0066

Greers Service Centre 4 Loguestown Industrial Estate, Coleraine 028 7035 8570


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Margaret writes to say that Anthony Scott is one of our most importantand influential sculptors and whose pieces are outstanding

in simplicity and scale. But don’t be mislead by this simplicity for behindthe scene is a mind that delves deeply into our Celtic roots and canspeak eloquently and with great knowledge about Irish mythology, sheadds.

Scott was brought up in tranquil, rural surroundings and belongs to ageneration who crossed fields, climbed

stiles and walked long roads with grassy centres in order to get toschool.After graduating from Art College in Belfast he completed anMA in Cardiff. With experiences from his childhood and college behindhim, the confidence came to pursue an artistic career and digging intohis particular strengths he feels he is still only ‘scratching the surface ofmy potential.’

With the use of bronze he can explore expansive pieces and wouldenvisage his work gaining monumental scale. Nearly all of his work isinspired by Celtic mythology although they are viewed from theperspective of the animal kingdom rather than the human. Animalsplay a central role in Celtic myths with ancient tales of how animalsoften changed their form and shape. The Celt’s believed that the spiritof the world of animals often impinged on and influenced the humanworld. Anthony has tried to convey this in his work.

The story tells how Bran and his twin sister Sceolang were puppies ofFionn’s aunt who, in pregnancy, was transformed into a bitch and thusgave birth to dogs. Fionn loved his dogs, Bran in particular, they werenever separated and with a communication between them that wasvirtually unbreakable. They have been portrayed as either Irish DeerHounds or Wolfhounds, but Anthony chooses to capture Bran in thelight of a lean, leggy, grey hound.

When the dogs were young, they and Fionn were out hunting deerand the pack was on a scent, brought a deer to ground but Bran andSceolang being of human heritage were able to discern that thetrapped deer was really a woman named Sadbh who was under thespell of a druid. They protected her from the other dogs and later Fionnmarried Sadbh and their son Oisin became a hero of note. While withFionn she could retain human form, however she was lured away fromhis protection and once away returned to deer form to run the forest.Fionn often went out with Bran and Sceolang who were the only onesthat could recognise her in the hope of finding her again.

Late in the life of the dogs Fionn, against advice, decided to searchfor his lost love. In bad weather and on afinal cast out, Sceolang could not musteranymore energy and sank. Bran couldnot encourage her and set off alone onhis final hunt into the craggy hills ofCeentlea. Bran caught the scent andgained strength, Fionn followed out ofthe undergrowth onto the open summitof the crag overlooking a small lake.

Silhouetted against the dying sun, onthe cliff edge stood a red deer. Fionncalled out her name, she turned, lookedat him then whirled round and jumpedfrom the cliff. It is said Bran looked onceat Fionn, then willingly followed thedeer. Fionn’s man Caurag and a groupwent in search of him, Sceolang was neardeath and in the place her master toldher to wait. When they finally were closeto Fionn Sceolang demanded to be puton the ground and slowly made her wayto where he sat staring into the lake.Sceolang licked Fionn’s face and wadedinto the lake and howled mournfully.Fionn carried her home, when several

years later she died in her sleep Fionn had her buried and a cairnerected over her body. The tale of the love, devotedness, intelligenceand loyalty of the dogs and Fionn lives on.

Anthony’s ‘Bran IV’ is the centre piece of his forthcoming exhibitionat Beaux Arts, Bath in England, opening on the 12th October 2013 andthe marquette can be seen at the Darren Clarke Charity Golf Classicon the 20th September 2013 at Rockmount Golf Club, where it is up forauction and would exude the stature, power and strength of hisnamesake in any private collection.

The marquette will be on view at the Darren Clarke Charity GolfClassic

Fionn mac Cumhaill’s ‘Bran’ iscentre piece at Anthony Scottexhibition

Anthony Scott with the lifesized sculpture ‘Bran’

A.A.MONTEITH & SONS

Registered Firearms Dealers

A.A.Monteith & Sons, Urbalshinny Sporting Lodge, 15a Urbalshinny Road, Beragh, Omagh, Co.Tryone, BT79 0TP, Northern Ireland

Telephone & Fax: 02880758395 Mobile: 07850260731 www.aamonteith.co.uk Email: [email protected]

A.A.Monteith & Sons are a Leading Supplier in Ireland of New & S/H Firearms, Ammunition , Accessories & CCI Clay Pigeons

New DTL layout available for practise at our on site shooting ground “Urbalshinny Sporting Lodge”

Practise Evenings Every Thursday & Friday From 1pm to 9pm Or By Appointment Monday-Friday

Moira Road, Lisburn, Tel. (028) 9262 1293 www.eastwoodmotors.com


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Make it a fashionable shooting season thisyear!

The shooting season is upon us once again and with its arrival comesthe anxiety for many about whether or not you have time to get youreye in before a public display! With Jack Murphy you can make surethat even if your shooting skills are a bit rusty you’ll look the part. At leastyou will impress with your dress if not with your shot! The season spansfrom early autumn through to the middle of winter and as many willattest, the unpredictability of the weather often goes hand in hand withthe luck you have on the day. You could have a gloriously sunny dayor a cold, wet and wild experience. Making sure you are suitablydressed will not only help you to enjoy your day whatever the weatherbut ensure you uphold tradition as well.

Jack Murphy’s irresistibly Irish Country and Lifestyle clothing andaccessories provide all members of the shooting party with a range ofstylish solutions to take them from the first drive to the shoot lunch. TheJack Murphy Autumn/Winter 2013 collection is inspired by the ruggedIrish landscape and the country way of life, which is reflected in itsrange of textured fabrics, sufficiently robust to withstand the punishingIrish weather yet tastefully cut in warm muted earthy hues withattractive and clever detailing to appeal to the most style-consciouson the field. Always synonymous with style, quality and durability, thislatest Jack Murphy collection has something for everyone this shootingseason.

Jump the gun with these Ladies’ and Men’scoats

Jack Murphy has a range of stylish and pragmatic coats for bothladies and men this season. To make your day enjoyable you must becomfortable, warm and dry. Shooting is about having fun and you willnot be happy if you are soaked on the first drive and nor will you begood company.

Among the key pieces in the new ladies’ collection is the Aurnia IITweed Jacket (RRP €249.99), an effortlessly elegant and quintessentiallycountry style, which is available in two beautiful tweeds and featuresdelectable detailing such as fabulous quilted satin lining, patch pocketswith moleskin tabs, detachable faux fur collar and front princess seampiping.

If you don’t want to commit to tweed, the Jack Murphy HaleyQuilted Jacket (RRP €99.99) is perfect for versatility - stylish, warm andalso practical. Available in rich maroon and true black, you won’t lookout of place wherever you stand in the field and it can be worn notonly in the country but in the city too.

For the boys; the Tomas Tweed Shooting Jacket (RRP €359.99) is adistinguished style that comprises stylish sophistication along withpracticality. Waterproof, windproof and with breathable lining- theTomas jacket offers both hand warmer pockets and poachers pocketsalong with intelligent detail; making it a must have for any country gent.

If you are fashion conscious and only find yourself on the shootingfield occasionally, a smart and practical country classic is the JackMurphy Hogan Quilted Jacket (RRP €104.99). Perfect for the countrygent who wants to be well turned out and well prepared, no matterwhere he is invited and what the day holds in store.

Be ahead of the game with the right hatJack Murphy offers a range of stylish, yet practical hats. Whether you

are looking into the winter sun, ducking the driving rain, Jack Murphy’shats are traditional, distinctive, classic and smart proving thatprotecting yourself from the elements can put you ahead in the fashiongame. For the men the Jack Murphy Alfie cap (€32.50 pictured) is a‘must have’ key piece this season to keep the elements at bay. For theglamorous practical ladies in the field, look no further than the JackMurphy Belclare Tweed Hat (€32.50 pictured).

To view the full autumn/winter collection and for more informationvisit www.jackmurphy.eu or tele-phone +353 (0) 1841 4200

SUPERB AUTUMN OFFERINGS FROM JACK MURPHY

Haley Quilted Jacket, Hogan Quilted Jacket and Alfie Cap.

Irresistible IrishClothing

New Collection Online Nowwww.jackmurphy.eu

Find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/JackMurphyCountryClothing


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Summer’s Game Fairs Draw to a CloseBirr Castle in Birr, Co. Offaly, played host to the last game fair of 2013

with the Irish Game and Country Fair being held over the weekend of31st August and 1st September. The weather was kind for the wholeweekend and the sunshine brought the crowds out, with a large crowdpresent on both days. The arena was busy from the morning late intothe evening and provided many spectacles to keep the crowdentertained, along with educational displays, such as fly casting, takingplace.

CAI members, Harbour House Sports Club, were showcasing the funthat archery has to offer. In the picturesque garden area, beginnerswere encouraged to try their hand at the sport and the moreadvanced got a chance to improve their skills further.

Jenny with Harbour House — CAI’s Jenny enjoying the fantasticarchery layout

Jenny, from CAI, called in and tried archery for the first time under theexpert supervision and tuition of Harbour House. It took a little practice,but eventually the tuition kicked in and the bullseye was becomingmore approachable. Jenny thoroughly enjoyed the experience andwould recommend it to anybody hoping to try a new challenge.

There was no mistaking the CAI flags at Birr.

CAI once again had a large presence at the fair. Within the CAImarquee were many diverse approaches to country sports, fromRathcormac Gun Club, the Wild Deer Association of Ireland, the IrishRed Grouse Association, BADA UK (Borreliosis and Associated DiseasesAwareness), Lindsay Carlisle with his large collection of intricately

handcrafted sticks and David Hogan with a superb taxidermy display.Once the game fair season draws to a close, the shooting and

hunting seasons begin. CAI would like to wish all our members, andindeed all country sports enthusiasts, to a safe and successful season.

‘Operation Wild Deer’ LaunchedCountryside Alliance Ireland recently attended the launch of

‘Operation Wild Deer,’ a PSNI-driven initiative to tackle the problem ofdeer poaching in Northern Ireland. CAI has been working extensivelywith the PSNI and other organisations, in the hope of raising awarenessof deer poaching and to inform the public of the correct procedures,should they have any information or suspicions. Deer poaching leafletsand posters have been produced for distribution throughout NorthernIreland. The initial focus will be on Davagh Forest, where the operationwas launched.

CAI’s Lyall Plant pictured with the PSNI Deputy Head of Firearmsand the PSNI Wildlife Liaison Officer at the launch of OperationWild Deer

CAI’s Chief Executive Lyall Plant commented: “Deer poaching is acruel and barbaric practice. The deer may suffer a slow and painfuldeath due to wounding by a bad shot or a gun of unsuitable calibre.In addition, poaching threatens public safety through illegal gun useand also the sale of contaminated, unregulated meat. Venison can bea healthy and tasty alternative to other meats, however, it is importantthe consumer knows it is bought from a trusted and regulated source.

“CAI is are extremely pleased to be involved in ‘Operation Wild Deer’and we also work with many deer societies throughout Ireland,including the British Deer Society NI, the Wild Deer Association of Irelandand the Irish Deer Society, to try to combat the horrific and illegalpractice of deer poaching.”

The PSNI are urging anyone with information on deer poaching tocontact the PSNI on 0845 600 8000 or anonymously to Crimestopperson 0800 555 111.

The Celtic Challenge 2013The second annual Celtic Challenge was held in Mullingar, Co.

Countrysports and Country Life Autumnr 2013 19

COUNTRYSIDE NEWSWestmeath, by kind permission of landowner Mr. Martin Dibbs. TheLeinster team, in conjunction with the Gaelic Gundog League, hostedthe event and insurance for the day was provided by CountrysideAlliance Ireland. This was an especially joyful and exciting occasion asit was the Gaelic Gundog League’s first hosting of an event since itsrecent affiliation with the IKC. The Gaelic Gundog League’s primaryfocus is to embrace all gundog sections and to ensure that trials areefficiently run and prove sporting, enjoyable occasions.

Four teams competed in the novice and advanced tests, whichwere the Munster, Irish Select, Leinster and Ulster Select team. The trialswere held in large open inclined fields with rushy bottoms surroundedby a bordering canal. Weather conditions for March were extremelycold with a stiff easterly wind to contend with. This event was judged bystalwarts Mr. Michael Hoey, Mr. Pascal Clarke, Mr. Declan Boyle and MrTony O’ Hare. Chief Stewarts on the day were Mr. Alan Nolan and Mr.Mattie Lambden.

Members of the winning Irish Select Team.

Results:1st Irish Select - 616 points, 2nd Leinster Select - 610 points, 3rd Ulster

Select – 560 points, 4th Munster Select - 549 points.The Gaelic Gundog League kindly sponsored trophies for top dog in

the Novice and Open and Vincent Flannelly, from Countryside AllianceIreland, proudly made the presentations. Top Novice dog wasawarded to Harry Gillanders with Copperbirch Finn (94 points) and TopOpen dog was awarded to Roy Griffin with Astraglen Baptiste (91points).

The organisers would like to take this opportunity to thank all thesponsors that contributed to a very successful Celtic challenge event.This year’s winner, the Irish Select team, will host Celtic Challenge in 2014and we wish them every success in the hosting of this and look forwardto a thoroughly enjoyable event.

Countryside Alliance Ireland Awards Opento Nominations

The Countryside Alliance Ireland Awards, nicknamed ‘The RuralOscars’ have opened to nominations, so please nominate today andhelp us sing the praises of those who work so hard for rural life. You cannominate online – visit www.caireland.org and follow the link, or byphoning +44 (0) 207 840 9340.

The Awards celebrate communities, produce, enterprise and ruralheritage. Voted for by the public across four categories, they applaudthose who routinely go the extra mile for their community and help topromote rural life.

The Countryside Alliance Ireland Award categories are:Local Food AwardDaily Telegraph Village Shop/Post Office AwardButcher AwardStart-up Award, for new rural businesses that have been trading for

less than 24 months and are already making their mark.Irish nominees will be judged and the winners announced in early

2014. Those winners will then be on their way to Westminster to

represent Irish businesses against winners from across Britain. Ireland’shigh quality produce and love of our landscapes and communitiesgives us a really good chance.

In 2011, Ireland had two overall winners, with Michael Martin fromCounty Antrim and Nolan’s of Kilcullen in County Kildare taking tophonours in their categories. Both parties travelled over for the awardsceremony in London and were absolutely delighted to be named asthe best in the UK and Ireland.

James Nolan, from Nolan’s of Kilcullen, commented on his win:“Winning the Countryside Alliance Award for the Best Butcher’s Shop inthe U.K. & Ireland was one of the highest accolades that my businesshas ever received. It is a customer nominated award and rightlyacknowledges and rewards rural traditions and enterprise. The spin offfrom all the media attention, good will and positive publicity that wehave gotten was simply incredible and this has genuinely given ourbusiness a massive boost.”

The Awards belong to their communities rather than just one business,so the morale boost and sense of achievement they engender toeveryone in the running is something rather special. CountrysideAlliance Ireland would urge everyone who supports our farmers,businesses and communities to have their say and nominate theirfavourites. Those who live and work in rural Ireland face uniquechallenges and it is our privilege to honour them. Nominations will beaccepted until 1st November 2013 - so don’t delay, nominate today!

Guidelines for Deer HuntersBelow are some basic guidelines for deer hunters, from BADA, to help

protect themselves against Lyme Disease and other related diseases.While shooting – consider wearing permethrin-impregnated clothing

or treat your own clothing with permethrin-fabric spray (available fromthe BADA-UK online shop). Use a repellent that contains DEET orCitriodiol on your skin (always follow directions on the label).

Transport – it’s best to carry the carcass outside the vehicle or, whereappropriate, use a body bag or fine cloth to contain any ticks fromspreading around the vehicle.

After transport – you could hang a Vapona insect killer in the vehicleover night or spray the vehicle with a pyrethrum spray and leave it shutup over night. Air the vehicle well before travelling in it again.Hoovering the vehicle will also help to collect any stray ticks.

At the storage facility – in the ‘cool room’ you could consider placinga large sheet under the carcass to collect any ticks that fall off. Thesheet could be impregnated with a pyrethrum insecticide, or just use aclean cloth that can be removed.

Clothing – it is advisable to hang hunting clothes outside or in a shedwhere it can be de-ticked with an insecticide. Where manufacturer’sinstructions allow, the clothing can be placed in a hot dryer to kill anyticks (ticks have been shown in scientific evidence to survive a full cyclein the washing machine).

Check yourself – check all over for ticks, paying special attention tothe hairline and scalp, bellybutton, groin, armpits and the back of theknees. If you find one, use only a plastic tick twister or fine nosedtweezers to remove a tick. All other methods increase the risk of backflow of germ filled fluids from the tick and therefore your risk ofcontracting a disease.

Jim and Muriel, from Cloughmills Incredible Edibles seen herebeing presented with their Enterprise Award last time from PaulCran.


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Scottish Land & Estates write to say that conservationfears have been raised for a second time at a rural

estate in Aberdeenshire as more dramatic footageemerged showing an osprey chick being attacked bya buzzard. Lochter Estate owner Euan Webster wasshocked as one of only two chicks hatched this year onthe estate’s osprey nest, which is filmed for tourismpurposes, was targeted and snatched by a swoopingbuzzard before falling, injured, to the ground. Last year achick from the same nest was grabbed by a buzzardand carried off before being dropped to its death.

Mr Webster commented: “This footage is clearevidence that last year’s buzzard attack was far frombeing an isolated incident. It is a sign that working toconserve one iconic bird of prey while more commonspecies which predate it breed unchecked is just notworking. There were two healthy chicks until ten daysago when one chick “mysteriously” fell out of the nest– we have no video of its fall. Then on Sunday theremaining chick was attacked as can be seen in thevideo. One chick is with the SSPCA with a broken partof its wing while the other has been safely returned tothe nest and is doing fine albeit the parent birds are constantlyfighting off the pair of buzzards.

“This cannot be passed off as simply nature taking its course ashumans have managed all types of bird for hundreds of years, wemust now surely have a responsibility to continue this managementin a way that is logical. Throughout the year we see buzzards prey onother birds, many of which are in steep decline.

Lapwings, oystercatchers, curlews and grey partridges, are nowfrequently absent from our farms here in the north east of Scotland.Any farmer or shepherd will tell you about the threat from buzzardsand this incident should sound alarm bells among those who careabout the conservation of our rarer wild birds such as ospreys inScotland.” The osprey chick is still alive and being cared for by theSSPCA; meanwhile Euan Webster has written to the Minister forEnvironment Paul Wheelhouse to express his concerns in full.

Survey: fewer buzzards would result inother wildlife benefits

Buzzards numbers have been growing steadily since the 1980s andare now at record levels in Scotland. The latest official BTO Bird AtlasSurvey demonstrates a more than healthy population which is nolonger of conservation concern. In a survey by the Scottish Farmermagazine in June, 100% of respondents believed that fewer buzzardswould result in other wildlife benefits.

As buzzard numbers have grown, clearly there is a need forincreasing amounts of prey for them to eat. Whilst smaller populationsmay at one time have been able to survive mostly on carrion, rabbits

and small game, there are growing numbers of reports of buzzardspreying on other wildlife such as red squirrels and wild birds, some ofthem being rare species of conservation concern such as osprey.The competition from buzzards is thought to have an impact onsmaller raptor species also.

Even conservation organisations such as RSPB recognise thatpredation is a problem when trying to look after rare or decliningspecies and they control predators in and around their reserves.

Douglas McAdam, Chief Executive of Scottish Land & Estates,reiterated his concerns after last year’s incident: “While previousreports of such predation have been brushed off by those who donot like the reality of what is happening in the countryside, thissecond video provides the sad but clear and conclusive evidence ofthe serious impacts of the growing population of buzzards. There aregaps in scientific knowledge about these impacts and someconservation groups have tried to discourage the licensed researchwhich would inform a pragmatic approach.

“At the same time, the conservation status of the buzzard itselfmust also be protected. A rational debate is urgently needed inwhich evidence from land and wildlife managers, such as EuanWebster, can be taken into account. They are the people who seewhat is actually happening on the ground rather than simply what isdocumented in the press and policy papers. We believe it is the dutyof Government to promote a factual consultation as this is a seriousissue for Scotland’s wildlife.”

YouTube footage can be found here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzONs5PyfiY

FURTHER BUZZARD ATTACK WITNESSEDON OSPREY NEST

A screengrab from the footage shows what happened.

Against the odds - a salmon!

Brian Howard, Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Ireland writes toexpress his thanks to all the staff at Mount Falcon for a very happy

stay by the Spanish fishing party at Mount Falcon last weekend.Against all the odds one of the party caught a 6lb salmon on the fly

on the Ridge Pool before we left yesterday. The first this year on theRidge and it was released.

w w w . d e c a t h l o n . c o . u k

BELFAST

HOLYWOOD EXCHANGE RETAIL PARK, BELFAST BT3 9EJ (Near Ikea)

for wildlife encounters

BELFAST

wildforr wildor wil

udlife encoueencdlifedlife

un ersunterse

w w w

o n . c. d e c a t h lw w w

BELFAST

o . u ko n . c

erness 100 Reses8181700

erness 100 ResvInvInv

acketsist Jas

r8 1693

ness 10081181

ernessIn erness 100 T0 TInv

ot

s

Sho

s

828223165SShootgun

ououserrr

CasesCas

BELFYWHOLLY

kea)Iear N(AST BT3 9EJ BELFAIL PCHANGE RETOOD EXYW

kea)ARK, L PPA


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Ajoint meeting between the Wild DeerAssociation of Ireland and the Irish

Deer Society recently took place atGarda HQ. Phoenix Park, Dublin. Themeeting was chaired by ChiefSuperintendent Fergus Healy (Crime,Policy and Administration) on behalf ofthe Garda Commissioner and attendedby Sergeant Paul Greene. Firearm PolicyUnit. The Wild Deer Association of Irelandwere represented by Dominic O’Hea &Larry Ryan, the Irish Deer Society were represented by Liam McGarry and Jim Daly.

The only item on the agenda was that of poaching which encompassed discussion onthe Wildlife and Firearms Acts. The meeting proved positive and productive. It is proposedto have further meetings with the relative stakeholders in the near future. All developments,decisions and any proposed policy changes will be reported on conclusion of thosemeetings.

Deer poaching is illegal. It is a wildlife crimeand positive action to combat it can make

a real difference not only to wild deer but alsoto people living in the countryside who may beaffected by rural crime in general, Greg Kane,Chairman of the British Deer Society’s NorthernIreland Branch, said today.

Speaking at Davagh Forest, nearCookstown, at the launch of an anti-poaching poster and leaflet campaignorganised by the PSNI in support of itsOperation Wild Deer initiative in the area, hesaid: “The indications are that wild deerpoaching has been on the increasethroughout Northern Ireland for a number ofyears. In addition to being illegal, this activityraises potential public safety issues andconcerns over deer welfare because of theway it is undertaken. Operation Wild Deer, inwhich a wide ranging group of organisationsjoined in partnership with the PSNI to combatpoaching in the Cookstown area, has alreadymade a valuable contribution to help addressthis form of rural crime in the Mid Ulster area.The posters and leaflets being launchedtoday will serve to reinforce this anti-poachingmessage with the aim of ensuring thatOperation Wild Deer’s momentum ismaintained.”

Operation Wild Deer was begun by the PSNIduring 2012 in response to reports of deerpoaching in the area around Cookstown andparticularly in the Davagh forest complex. Byworking in partnership with stakeholdersrepresenting interests ranging from countrysports to environmental issues and food safety,the initiative set up by PSNI has delivered aunited front against deer poaching.

Greg Kane continued: “Wild deer have nonatural predators and their numbers musttherefore be controlled to ensure they cancontinue to live in sustainable balance withtheir habitat. This requires deer to bemanaged by ethical and humane means. TheBritish Deer Society is at the forefront in

promoting best practice deer managementand provides comprehensive training leadingto internationally recognised qualifications forthose involved in this work. For example, whilea legitimate deer stalker will use a rifle andammunition of a calibre and performancespecified in the legislation to enable ahumane result to be achieved, there isevidence to suggest that some poachers areusing firearms of smaller and therefore entirelyunsuitable calibres, which can often result inserious wounding rather than a clean kill. Thisis not only illegal, wounding creates significantwelfare issues for the deer concerned.Poaching often, although not always, takesplace at night, which is also illegal in NorthernIreland and carries a risk to public safety.

“However, poachers are unlikely to showregard for the legal or best practicerequirements observed by legitimate deerstalkers. They are instead motivated by theprospect of making a quick sale of theresultant venison, some of which may find its

way into pubs or restaurants keen to buycarcasses relatively cheaply to boost their ownprofit margins.

He added: “The message from OperationWild Deer and this associated postercampaign is clear. By working in partnership,people in rural communities can help combatthis crime by reporting suspicious activitywhich may be associated with poaching.Pubs, restaurants or other establishmentsshould also be alert to the risks posed to boththeir business and customers by buyingvenison from a questionable source. Wildvenison is a superb food product so long as itis obtained from a legitimate and sustainablesource, has been culled using best practiceand its handling throughout has met therigorous food hygiene requirements which arein place to protect consumers. By its nature,poaching completely disregards these basicrequirements which is why it must be dealt withusing a zero tolerance approach.”

For more information visit www.bds.org.uk.

Illegal Netting inLough Neagh

The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure was askedfor an update on the amount of illegal netting

found in Lough Neagh; and the work ongoing toprevent such illegal netting.

The Minister said that for the period 1 April 2012to the end of March 2013, 22 nets with a totallength of 23,000m were seized in Lough Neagh byDCAL Fisheries Protection Officers. There havebeen a total of 111 boat patrols on Lough Neaghduring that period. The Department will seize illegalnets from wherever they are detected includingboats, commercial premises, quaysides, vehiclesetc.

DCAL Fisheries Protection staff continue to carryout intelligence led operations, often inconjunction with other enforcement agencies, todetect, disrupt and deter those involved in illegalfishing activities on Lough Neagh.

BRITISH DEER SOCIETY WELCOMES PSNI ANTI-POACHING POSTER INITIATIVE

Wide support for the anti-poaching poster launch.

Delegates pictured at the meeting.

Poaching on the agenda forWDA/IDS meeting

Courtlough Shooting GroundsCourtloughBalbrigganCo. DublinTel: +353 1 841 3096Fax: + 353 1 841 5462Email: [email protected]: www.courtlough.ie

p Shooting Lessons p Group Packages p Corporate Shooting Events p Trout Fishingp Gun Room & Shop p Cafe & Bar

Courtlough Shooting Grounds was established in 1996 by former Irish Olympian Richard Flynn and his son William also an International grade shooter and Irish team member.

Since its formation in 1996 Courtlough has expanded to become Ireland’s premier, shooting ground, offering disciplines such as Down the line, Olympic Trap, Automatic Ball Trap, Skeet, Sporting, Fitasc and Compak shooting. All shooting are fully covered in away from the elements of the weather, which makes us an ideal venue all year round.

We pride ourselves in providing all facilities, disciplines and tuition for the Novice shooter right the way through to the International shooter.

We see ourselves as leading Event providers in the following fields Corporate events, Teambuilding days, Social club outings, Stag/Hen parties and Family days out. We can cater groups or individuals from 1-200 in size. We are located approximately 25 minutes from Dublin City Centre and 10 minutes from Dublin Airport just 2 minutes off exit 5 on the M1 motorway.

All our staff members hold professional qualifications awarded by the CPSA & NRA.

COURTLOUGHS H O O T I N G G R O U N D S

BookOnline

OUC OUGHOURTLOUGHS H O O O U N D ST I N G G R O U N D S

eatments of thfritasc and C, Ftingr, SkrapTing disciplines such as Der, offffeoundrshooting g

mation in 1996 CorSince its ffo

ade shootrtional gernatnalso an Iy fas established in 1996 bw

hotlough SourC

nts of thengt, Spor

elements o wngeet, Sp

eaom the elements of the w enue all yes us an ideal vwhich eathere fully co. All shooting arpak shC

, Olympic wnoo become Iourmation in 1996 C

.errish ter and Iade shootlynn and his son d Ficharrish Olympian Rormer Iy f

ounds roting Gho

which pak sh

which mpak sh

, womCompak sho

ch asuch as Dexppans expanded t

, which makompak shootingnd C

wn the lineociplines such as Dtlough has expanded t

eam member

.oundear renue all yy waed in aerve fully co

omatic Ball ut, ArapT, Olympic , emiers pr’elandro become I

illiam Wlynn and his son

un Ro Gp

orp Cp

ho Sp

e &affe Cphop om & Sun Rots envoting Ehoe Staororp

oup PrGpessons oting Lho

are & BishingFout r Tpts

ages ackoup P

ofAll our staff members

.ywaorthe M1 mot10 and e entCy CitDublin om fr

dividrer gcato, Syseambuilding daTTe

es as lee see ourselvW

o ouy the wardoes inourselve prW

y thr

oups or individu

ty thrthe wapre ouride

o tougho

All our staff members hold pr

ttrfduals frcocial cluTTeading eW

ugh tthe was in pr v

o the Ividvidin

oduals fr

ight th

y the CPSA & NRA.ded bwaressional qualifications aoffe

minut2 just t porAirDublin om fres minut10 oed appre locate arW. eom 1-200 in siz

amily daties and F, Stag/Hen parub owing fields Colloviders in the ffooenves as leading E

.ernatioernto, disciplines and tuition ffoall facil

b outingsent pr

ional shootnng all facilities

y the CPSA & NRA.

on 5 exit off es minutes ely 25 minutximat

e can Wys out. amily da, entsve eporatorwing fields C

er vice shootor the No

ww web:Wo@c infEmail:

+ 353 1 841 5462ax:F +353 1 841 3096el:T

ublin. DoCigganBalbrtloughourCtlough SourC

tlough.ieour.cwtlough.ieouro@c

+ 353 1 841 5462 +353 1 841 3096

ubliniggantlough

roting Ghotlough S ound

OnlineookB


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

The West of Ireland Spaniel Club held its annual Working Tests onSunday 28th July 2013 at Mountbellew, Co Galway in conjunction with

the Mountbellew Vintage Clubs’ Annual Vintage Rally. The day’s eventswere kindly sponsored by Mr Gerard Kelly of Outdoor Ranger, Shootingand Fishing Supplies and Registered Firearms Dealer/Gunsmith, Unit 50 –N17 Business Park, Galway Rd, Tuam, Co Galway ([email protected]).

The Tests were judged by Mr Pat Cox from Co Mayo and Mr LouisRice from Co Down. Pat Cox is an A panel judge and is a regular on thetrialing circuit competing with both Springer and Cocker Spanie andhas judged the Irish Spaniel Championship in recent years and hasjudged Spaniels in the UK and Sweden. Louis Rice is a C panel judgeand a very successful spaniel handler. He is very active in the trialingscene at the moment and has come second in the Irish SpanielChampionship in the last two years, with Sliabh Treasure in 2012 andWyndhill Shona of Sliabh in 2011. Hopefully third time lucky for Louis in2013. The Steward of the beat was our own hard working Clubman, MrDeclan Mitchell from Co Galway. There were four tests run on the daywhich were A/V Puppy, A/V Novice, Confined Cocker Open and A/VOpen. Between each test, Labrador demonstrations were conductedby Mr Lorenzo Hynes and Mr Kevin Coyne of the Midland RetrieverClub. Lorenzo was still beaming from his 2012 Irish RetrieverChampionship Triumph with his fantastic black Labrador DogTrumpetaker Ash. A total entry of 55 dogs was received, another hugeentry for the Club at our second year at these grounds.

The day started with the Puppy Test and a field of 16 Springer Spanielsand 1 Cocker Spaniel. The standard of those puppies set the bar veryhigh, there were some great displays of power hunting and smartretrieving and the judges gave each Puppy ample time to showthemselves

Puppy Test (L/R) James Shippam, Shane Gainley, James Caseyand Enda Jennings.

Puppy Test Results:1st Blackguard Ivy – Mr James Casey, Co Limerick.2nd Hunterslodge Meg – Mr James Shippam, Co Limerick.3rd Garrisoncullen Pio – Mr Shane Gainley, Co Mayo.4th Sandford Kathleen – Mr Enda Jennings, Co Mayo.

Following the presentation of prizes which were presented after eachevent, we were straight into the Novice dogs with and a brilliant entryof 18 dogs. The Springer Spaniels were out in force again with just twocockers in the mix in what was another stunning display of quality dogwork. There were some really nice dogs that had a little bad luck onthe day and ended up just missing out on the prizes.

Novice Test results:1st Maesyronan Hurricane – Mr Allan Mitchell, Co Galway.2nd Blackguard Ivy – Mr James Casey, Co Limerick.3rd Owenwee Comet – Mr Enda Jennings, Co Mayo.4th Sallywood Dancer – Mr Shane McManus, Co Donegal.

Next in were the cockers and again the quality dogs that came tothe top. A difficult course ensured the dogs had to be top class to shine.The winner had a great run and really showed her class to pip thosethat were hot on her heels.

Cocker results:1st Abbylara Smarty – Mr Des Elliot, Co Armagh.2nd Nederscot Trinity – Mr Domhnall Creamer, Co Dublin.3rd Cheweky Gigges – Mr Domhnall Creamer, Co Dublin.4th Wetlands Jack Snipe – Mr Eoin O Meaghair, Co Cork.

Cocker Test - Des Elliot (L) and Domhnall Creamer.

Finally came the A/V Open and a field of 10 dogs were entered.Quality again was everywhere and such was the testing layout of thecourse that those that came to the fore had to be top class. All dogshunted with real purpose and drive and there was some spectacularretrieving. A real treat for the many spaniel connoisseurs that stoodbravely to the end of what was a very enjoyable and successful day forThe West of Ireland Spaniel Club. Our Clubman, Mr Christy Murphyshowed us that retirement from the top table is the way to go as hetook the top spot in the A/V Open for the second year running.

Open Test results:1st Churchview Chunnel – Mr Christy Murphy, Co Mayo.2nd Maesyronan Hurricane – Mr Allan Mitchell, Co Galway.3rd Drumreenagh De Vitry – Mr Rody Culleton, Co Laois.4th Sprucehill Rhoda – Mr John Butler, Co Cork.

Open Test (L/R) John Butler, Rody Culleton, Allan Mitchell andChristy Murphy.

The West of Ireland Spaniel Club Working Tests

Novice Test (L/R) Enda Jennings, James Casey, Allan Mitchell,and Shane McManus.

��

��

�� !�� "��

#�� $�� !�� "�"��

��

�#�$%�&%'()*+,-)+,($*'%�.�

��

�� !!!��

"�#��$��%��&��'��(��&�$��)��&�*+�&�$ ��,-��./%

� %&�'"�"�%�(()�*�(�%+,-�+�./(,�,�#��-0

� %��'�"#"+"�(��--"�"�,0$�#(��&'"%10��'�/',0,'��"�,0�

� 2)/��((,'1,%"+�#��-0��"(�*(,�"%�*��2�'�%1,0

� 0&"��*(,�#�'��((�*',,-0��#�-�1

� +�./,�"�"�,()�/'"+,-

��


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

Willowbreeze Net £2,500 For Children’s

Heartbeat Trust

On Saturday 6th July, Willowbreeze Fishing Club held their annual fly-fishing charity champioship final on Straid Fishery Co.Antrim for the

Children’s Heartbeat Trust. The day was a huge success having raised£2,500 for this well deserved charity. Willowbreeze would like to givethanks to every prize donator for their kind contribution to this worthycause and would also like to give great thanks to the fishery owners ofTurnaface, Woodford and Straid fisheries for hosting our competitions.They thank Harry McAteer and Alan McCartney for giving up their timeto take control and look over this event. Our final thank you is for thedepartment of culture, arts and leisure for supplying us with 200 beautifultrout for the competition.

The competition was a 6 fish bag limit where we measured our first3 fish. At 10:30am all boats left the jetty on the whistle. With anglersspreading evenly throughout the lake it wasn’t long before the anglershad tightened up and were hooking fish with Steven McSherry, IanRowan and Gary Crothers all recording fish on their scorecards. By11:00am most anglers had either caught or lost fish. By 12:30pm thepace had been set as Ian Rowan and Gary Crothers were both on fivefish each, with Hugh Morris and Gary McFadden on four fish each andboth desperately trying to net their final two fish. At 1:15pm, AndyMcClelland eagerly slipped his net under a 2lb beautiful Brown Trout,but unfortunately it was not counted as it was a Rainbow-onlycompetition. By 3:00pm most anglers had caught fish, with GaryCrothers and Ian Rowan still in the lead with their 6 fish each. A fewmore anglers had been recorded along with Steven McSherry, HarryMoffet, Andy Craig and Chris Dickey. With the final whistle being blownat 4:30pm, it was time for Alan McCartney to fire up the BBQ for somehungry competitors.

The score cards were tallied up and the final count had been done.The top eight in the prizes were:

1st Gary Crothers. 6 fish. 27602nd Ian Rowan. 6 fish. 25503rd Steven McSherry. 4 fish 20204th Hugh Morris. 4 fish 18805th Gary McFadden. 4 fish. 14806th Derek Cooper. 3 fish. 13907th Harry Moffet. 3 fish. 12908th Andy McClelland. 3 fish. 1250Willowbreeze Fishing Club would also like to thank Andy Cooper for

taking photographs of the event and also to Robin Swann MLA UUP forthe presentation of the cheque of £2,500 to the Childrens HeartbeatTrust. final round at Straid fishery Turnaface fishery Woodfordfishery overall winner Gary Crothers.

Allan Reid presents the cheque for £2500 to the Children’sHeartbeat Trust.

The Irish Spaniel Championship 2013

Details are as follows:

VENUE: Shanes Castle Estate, Co. Antrim by kind permission ofRt. Hon. Shane O’NeillDATE: Friday 27th & Saturday 28th December 2013Judges: Mr. Victor McDevitt & Mr. Dermot Cahill Referee: Mr. JohnDowling.

CHAMPIONSHIP HEADQUARTERS HOTEL - Dunsilly Hotel, 20 DunsillyRoad, Antrim, BT41 2JH Phone: 0044 (0) 28 9446 2929 From Ireland: 0489446 2929.

When booking your rooms at the Dunsilly Hotel, please use thecode “SPANCHAMP” to enable the hotel to give the special roomrate which has been arranged for the Spaniel Championship

Wild Hunter start todistribute ATA includingthe new Over & Under

ATA Over&Under shotgun is the new member of the ATA shotgunfamily with the synthesis of 50 years of master craftsmanship and

contemporary technology. ATA OverUnder shotgun performs twooptions to it’s users with steel or light alloy receiver, by submittingsingle selective trigger and automatic ejectors as standard. ATAenrichs the quality of the shotguns with its beautiful Turkish Walnut.Ata Over & Under shotgun are great for all types of hunting andshooting sports. ATA offers excellent prices for superior qualityshotguns.

ATA manufacture an Over & Under shotgun light alloy receiverwith steel breech face, this provides easy and comfortablehandling and carrying to hunters with its 6.2 Ibs. (2.8 kg.) weight.Well qualified barrel with high quality finish provides durability. ATAOver & Under shotguns are designedto look beautiful to the eye, beautifulto use and a pleasure to own.

ATA manufacture Over & Undershotguns with steel receivers providingthe perfect gun for a high volumecartridge output. Driven shooting,pigeon shooting or clay shooting. Nomatter what your style of shooting is,ATA offer a selection of high qualityshotguns to choose from. All shotguns come multi-choked, so youcan control the shot patterns.

ATA also manufacture a range of high quality semi-automaticshotguns. Available in Walnut or Synthetic. These remarkablyfinished shotguns are available with inertia reloading systems.Inertia semi-autos are very reliable and reload using the recoil of ashot. This means your shooting day will not be upset by a your gunjamming.

For further details : Wildhunter / LR Active, Unit 7 The DiskinCentre, Golden Island, Athlone

Westmeath, Ireland, 00353 (0)90 6470344 Uk 0044(0)208 [email protected] www.wildhunter.eu


COUNTRYSIDE NEWS

On Saturday 17th August Urbalshinny Sporting Lodge held a 30 birdInvitation Sporting Shoot for local shooting syndicates at Urbalshinny

a total of 5 teams took part those being Gortnagarn, The Kilkeel Men,The Monaghan Men, Baronscourt/Cavan Select and Urbalshinny.

After the 30 targets, the winners by a long shot were theBaronscourt/Cavan select team counting 81 points, with theGotnagarn team second counting 74, the overall Individual High Gunwas Jason Sproule from Baronscourt, shooting an excellant 28/30.

The prizegiving was conducted by Simon Monteith from theUrbalshinny Syndicate. Simon thanked all the teams for participatingand presented The Artie Monteith Memorial Trophy to theBaronscourt/Cavan Select team captain Jason Sproule along with apair of wax chaps for each team member. Jason was also presentedwith the individual prize a pair of binoculars which was sponsored byA.A. Monteith & Sons Registered Firearms Dealer, Beragh. Second prizewas then presented to the Gortnagarn Team which was a bag ofFeedwell dog food for each team member, very generously sponsoredby Feedwell Dog Foods. In closing Simon advised all present that thiswas now going to be an annual event and hoped to see them allattending next year.

Urbalshinny Sporting Lodge 30 bird Invitation Sporting Shoot

The Baronscourt/Cavan team of Kyle McIlwaine, DeclanConnoly, Jason Sproule, Donal Corr and Eugene McClements.

Bangor hotshot wins £2,000 gun at Shanes Castle Game Fair!

Competition was red hot for some of the biggest clay pigeon shootingprizes in Ireland at the Irish Game Fair over Saturday 29th and

Sunday 30th June at Shanes Castle. And County Down’s own hot shot Les Lupton from Bangor was bang

on target at Shanes winning an amazing shotgun worth £2,000. Despitebeing a relatively recent convert to clay shooting, Spectator reader Lestook advantage of a discounted ticket and set his sights on the big prize.

The amazing Caesar Guerini gun was on offer in the Pool Trapcompetition at the Irish Game Fair and Fine Food Festival, traditionallyone of the most popular have-a-go attractions, with around 600 shootersover the two days of the Fair and never more so than this year with sucha top prize up for grabs.

Game Fair Director Albert Titterington said: The competitors wereshooting under the supervision of one of the world’s leading talents, BritishTrap Shooting Coach, Kevin Gill and was a rare opportunity to try out theextensive range of Caesar Guerini shotguns and try their luck for thisfabulous prize.

“Competitors simply selected a gun from the Caesar Guerini range toshoot in the Pool Trap competition and, even if they missed all 10 clays,they still went into a draw for the £2,000 Caesar Guerini gun. Les scored6/10 in Pool Trap shoot, not enough to get into the prizes for that, but hescooped the big one in the draw the gun. It just goes to prove that if you

were game to ‘have a go’ at Shanes Castle, then literally anyone couldhave walked off with this amazing prize.

“We are very grateful to well known gun dealer Tommy Beattie and hiscolleagues in the Anglo Italian Arms Company (www.gueriniguns.co.uk)

for donating this fine prize and forsportingly helping us add to ouramazing clay shooting prize fund,which is unmatched by any otherfair in the country.

“This year top shots in the 30 BirdGame Fair Sporting Championships,the Flush and the Pool Trapcompeted for a dazzling array ofprizes including two guns sponsoredby Donal Mc Cloy Guns Unlimited,Toomebridge along with qualitywatches, country clothing andcash,” said Albert Titterington.

Guns & Ammo proprietorTommy Beattie (left) presentsLes Lupton with his CaesarGuerini shotgun watched byShanes Castle Game FairDirector Albert Titterington.

Les Lupton was bang on target winning a stunning CaesarGuerini shotgun at Shanes Castle Game Fair from TommyBeattie Guns & Ammo, Moygashel, Co Tyrone.

T.Beattie Guns & Ammo, Moygashel, Co Tyrone Tel : 028 8772 5631 www.tbeattiegunsandammo.co.uk

Obituary

Philip Lawton Passes AwayTragically Early After

Brave Struggle With Illness

The Republic of Ireland Editor of Irish CountrySports And Country Life Philip Lawton

passed away tragically early during the summerafter a brave struggle with an illness. Philip wasundoubtedly one of the great personalities of Irishcountry sports and he shuffled off this mortal coilon Friday the 7th of June, to the sadness of manyfriends and fellow fieldsports enthusiasts. His lifewas celebrated at his funeral in All Saints Church,Grangegorman, Dublin on Wednesday the 12thJune, when the Rev David Pierpoint commentedon how Philip’s life had touched so many peoplein different walks of life, and the huge number ofhis friends who were there to bid him farewell.

Rev Pierpoint gave a touching and humorous sermonduring Philip's funeral in All Saints Church. He pointed outthat ‘as a member of the guild of All Saints here in this parishPhilip kept his faith very public and he was never afraid towear his faith on his sleeve, so to speak. And it is thereforemost fitting that we celebrate his life in this requiem eucharisthere today. Philip is known to many here today for differentthings. Some of you may not know that he was a keenwoodcarver and carved the memorial case and inscription atthe front of this church.’

Rev Pierpoint said: ‘He is also remembered for hisinvolvement with the magazine Irish Country Sports andCountry Life and with the Irish Game Fairs organisation. Heco-edited Irish Country Sports & Country Life , which is aquarterly magazine, and every issuesubmitted an editorial and a veryentertaining article under thepseudonym of 'Plus Twos.’ He alsowrote for Countryman’s Weekly as‘Midlander.’ As a Director of theGreat Game Fairs of Ireland hetravelled the country attendingcountry fairs and shows usuallydressed in his tweed suit, chequeredshirt and countryman’s tie, and onoccasion also wearing his plus twosjust to impress! He was seldomwithout a fag or a pipe in his mouthand he cut quite a dash walkingaround with his cane, stick orwhatever he could find to make him

more like the country gent he really was. His fishing andshooting exploits are legendary among those who daredventure out with him and his regular sidekick Geoff.’

Irish County Sports & Country Life publisher and GreatGame Fairs of Ireland Director, Albert Titterington, said thatwhile there was obvious sadness at the funeral, many of thelarge crowd present could not help thinking that Philip, avery talented musician and very able actor, would have lovedthe rousing hymns, the choir singing a hymn with anarrangement by himself, the well organised ceremony and theexcellent address by the minister, Rev Pierpoint. AlbertTitterington described him as ‘a real character, an ableraconteur and talented writer who had a rapier wit and a fundof humorous stories many of which he shared through hiswriting as ‘Midlander’ in the Countryman’s Weekly or as‘Plus Twos’ in the Irish Country Sports and Country Lifemagazine.’

‘We, in the Great Game Fairs of Ireland,’ said Albert, ‘weredelighted to utilise Philip’s warm personality and talents andtake them to a wider audience by giving him possibly his‘greatest stage’ as ROI Editor of Irish Countrysports &Country Life and as Director of the Great Game Fairs ofIreland. When we were starting our Game Fair at Birr in 2007,I invited him to be part of the team and a Director of theoverall brand the Great Game Fairs of Ireland, and this roleincluded being Arena Director at both fairs and MC at ourGame Fair PR functions. He fitted well into the existing teamsome of whom have been involved since 1979. He also tookpart in the Victorian Poacher longnetting act where he acted

the befuddled ‘Constable’ whonever caught the poacher! 'Withhis massive personality he wassimply superb in all of theseroles and will be missed. This iswhy we have dedicated thesuccess of this year’s GreatGame Fairs of Ireland Fairs tohis memory.’

Philip lived in Glasnevin. Hewas born in Dublin in 1952 andeducated in King's Hospital. Heworked in the insuranceindustry specialising inengineering underwriting andrisk management. Philip had aninvolvement in, and was a great

Philip Lawtonaka ‘Plus Twos’RIP


defender of, virtually every countrysport and pastime inIreland, from stick making through to angling and he waspassionate about angling.

He was very good friends with fellow Dubliner GeoffPayne and they had known each other for 30 years, firstmeeting when serving in the army and navy in the MiddleEast and they sometimes met for a few drinks and a chat. ‘Iam ex-army,’ said Geoff, 'and Philip was ex-navy and weenjoyed a bit of banter about the failings of the army and thenavy. Philip was a very knowledgeable and skilful man whowas an accomplished musician. He told me that he playedon about 500 organs throughout Europe and was due toplay in Londonderry. He loved his music and lived for it. Hewas Church Organist at St Audoen's near Christ Church inDublin and he played there every Sunday.

‘While Philip lived in Glasnevin, I lived on the oppositeside of the city and I made it my business to see him mostdays. We sometimes jokingly referred to the Grave DiggersPub, where we met as ‘The Office.’ We shared a great loveof the outdoors. He was a member of a shooting syndicateon the north side of Dublin in the Malahide estuary andwhenever he went up there I'd tag along as a sort of batman.Philip would do the shooting while I did the driving andgeneral chores. He also fished all over Ireland and recentlydid a lovely ten day fishing trip in Norway.’

Charlie Cullen also lives in Dublin and was a good friendof Philip's as well. He is Vice President of the LeinsterCoursing Club and he recalled attending coursing meetsaround the country with Philip. 'He loved a good cigar andso do I,' recalled Charlie. 'We used to meet from time to timein The Halfway House, a pub near Phoenix Park in Dublin,where we'd enjoy a meal, a few drinks and a chat. I greatlyenjoyed his company and we often engaged in banter. Forexample, I'm from Cavan and we have an unfair reputationof being tight with our finances. On one occasion when Ipaid for something at the Game Fair in Shane's Castle Philipjoked that when I opened my wallet the moths flew out,implying that my wallet was rarely opened! When we metin The Halfway House we'd chat about shooting and fishingand while I would enjoy a soft drink, Philip would enjoy adrop of Jameson or Crested 10. We'd put the wrongs of theworld to right. He was a very pleasant person to have a fewdrinks and a chat with. He had a good sense of humour andplenty of common sense. He was a very good organist andhe played at Ann's, my wife's, funeral two years ago inBlanchardstown. Charlie recalled going out pigeonshooting with Philip but he never went fishing with him.'Fishing was something I never took to. Shooting and dogswere my thing and I used to train shooting dogs.'

Another close friend of Philip's Pat Byrne, also fromDublin, who said he first met Philip at a fishing showseveral years ago and they often manned a CountrysideIreland stand at shows. Pat said that Philip would be greatlymissed. They used to meet fairly often in the Breffni Inn inAshtown Dublin for a few drinks and a chat. 'We wouldchat about fieldsports, about any impending legislationwhich might affect fieldsports and we'd chat about thechallenges facing our beloved pastimes. It’s great to feel

solidarity with someone else when you're chatting about ahobby you love; it’s great to be in an environment whereyou are not being judged for what you love doing.’ Pat saidPhilip was good natured and easy to chat with. As well asbeing colourful he was a down to earth person. ‘It was verysad that he was taken so early from us,' said Pat, 'but whenthe Man above says it's our time to go then we just have tocalmly and philosophically accept it.' 'Philip lived for anumber of years in Edenderry,’ remarked Pat, ‘and he did alot of shooting down there. On a number of occasions Ijoined him for pigeon shooting in Dunshaughlin, Meath.’Pat added that he had some humorous and interestinganecdotes featuring Philip but he joked that they couldn't berevealed!

Another good friend was Tom Fulton, a keen huntingwith hounds man and was a friend for 12 years.

'Philip was a great man to have a chat with,' recalledTom. 'He was often the life and soul of a gathering, repletewith endless anecdotes. As well as being an accomplishedmusician he loved gadgets and tools. Philip was anexcellent organist and also a very good woodcarver. He hada number of talents. He was musical; he was good withtools and was a woodcarver; and he was a veryaccomplished writer. He was also a good actor. When I sawhim portray the Constable pursuing the poacher I wasimpressed. He really got into an acting role but didn'toverdo it. 'He was a man of considerable knowledge. Forexample I remember when he was MC at the Game Fairs hedisplayed a lot of knowledge about many subjects, such asthe art of musketry. He was a real people person. I regardhim as being a country gent without any unpleasantpretentiousness of character. Philip was a very warm andhumane person, with a great sense of humour. He wasn't setin his ways. He was very adaptable.'

Tom pointed out that Philip's strong artistic streakshowed itself in his handwriting and letter-writing whichsometimes looked like calligraphy. Tom admired as well theway in which his friend dealt with the hard knocks andsetbacks of life. He added: ‘When it came to the hard knocksof life he showed himself to be philosophical and resilient.Another aspect of his character that I liked was that he wasalways himself no matter in what company he happened tobe. He didn't modify his behaviour to ingratiate himself withpeople. But that didn't mean he was jarring or unpleasantwhen in people's company. He was always a gentleman.Philip possessed a tremendous interest in all countrysports.’

Philip is survived by his wife Margaret, son Stephen anddaughters Naomi and Catherine. The family were greatlytouched by the presence of so many people at the funeraland the heartfelt messages of sympathy they received fromall over the sporting world and to them we send ourcondolences.

Having chatted to five very good friends of Philip's whatemerges is a genuine fondness for someone who addedcolour to our lives, and a sadness that he should have beentaken away from us prematurely. Ar dheis Dé go raibh aanam dílis.

Derek Fanning


An amazing selection of guns matched by the finest range of clothing

Whatever your sport - we really do have you covered

Terms & Conditions apply see website for details

www.mccloys.com GO

10 Creagh Rd, Toomebridge, County Antrim, BT41 3SE

Call us on: 028 7965 0641iie s & itind tios & Con

Cerms d

nT

CCaC

Ca10 C

onoll

www.mccloys.com

alll uus ooCr T

lCrea1

us Crreaeag meoTRgh Rd, omh R ooTTo

2or ssoe ws pl sp itte foe etee we te fo

41tailsr deons

3S

ebsily ses app

79: n 1

2e

4116402 48 65 065 0n: 280

www.mccloys.com

S3S3

797 0e,

969: 0: 8 772ge ou

241ntdge T411 3Bg BTCo ntr m, Btrimebr e, id untyu imAntyridgr ougee y

www.mccloys.comor call us today on 028 7965 0641

Trade Enquiries Welcome

The RB series is the most recentaddition to the Rizzini range. Itselegantly rounded frame bears astriking resemblance to the roundaction shotguns made famous byScottish gunmakers.

The EM model shown is availablein a range of calibres from 10gauge to 28 guage, also bespokestock measurements are availablewith a range of barrel lengths andchoke specifications.

Please ring for more information and prices

available

Shooting AccessoriesSee www.mccloys.com

for our wide range of shooting accessories

from leading brand names

(mail order available)

CPC Clays and Laporte Traps delivered throughout the UK and Ireland

10 Creagh Road, Toomebridge, Co Antrim, BT41 3SE,Northern Ireland Email: [email protected]

From Dan Kinney

Soul SearchingIam writing this article shortly after taking a

walk over a once great grouse moor in NorthAntrim. I knew from personal experience justhow prolific that moor used to be. And the lateLord Glentoran told me that the annual grousebag on the adjoining Cushleake moor, betweenBallycastle and Cushendun, would be around 150brace, walked up over pointers or setters.Needless to say I saw no evidence whatever of thepresence of grouse, either young or old. Now, Iwould imagine that some readers might shrugtheir shoulders and say ‘so what.’ Others mightsay ‘good,’ that means more room for our raptorsand predators like peregrine falcons, hen harriers,buzzards, hoodie crows, foxes and badgers’

But would the dissenters be right? How could organisationslike the National Trust, which now owns the game rights onCushleake moor, and the RSPB be happy with a situationwhere raptors and predators are more prevalent than grouse,lapwing, curlew, larks, meadow pipits or hares?

I think such organisations have some soul searching to do ifthey ever wish to see a return to the days when theenvironment was alive with the species that country dwellersloved - like game birds, larks, hares and butterflies of alldescriptions. And no one raking in thousands of pounds everyyear.

You might think otherwise but I do not blame either theRSPB or the National Trust for all or even the bulk of thedamage done to the environment over the past 50 or 60 years.It is just that they might stop promoting the wrong species anddo more with vast budgets to strive for a level playing field forour own indigenous species. Incidentally, I was delighted tosee that Environment Minister Alex Attwood made the correctdecision about the proposed golf course on the North castwhich the National Trust, among others, opposed.

And I have said before that the most insidious species ofpredator is the two-legged one with the powerful lamp at nightable to make simple souls believe that he was lamping foxesinstead of bagging live grouse for sale to people who seem notto have much integrity or concern for the damage he is doing.The chief suspect is a pathological liar and semi professionalconman who will tell the truth only if he cannot think of a lie.

The number of clever, well paid people he has suckered overthe years runs into many hundreds.

But to get back to my hill walk today. I was checking on anarea where heather beetle or winter blight had done a lot ofdamage in the winter of 2010-11.

Burning was the only remedyYou might recall a previous article where I said a

considerable area of once prime heather had been badlyaffected by one or other of these disasters. In the autumn ofthat year all seemed well on the area where I was walkingtoday and on out over Cushleake moor. But in a very shortperiod of time the heather had died, with hundreds of acreslooking grey and for all the world like old burned whins. Ichecked with the very best brains on moor management andwas told that whether it was blight or beetle the only remedywas to burn affected area. I and my helpers spent several daysburning off the grey vegetation on the Cushleake side of theBallycastle to Cushendun Road.

It was hard work and necessitated the burning of 12 feet-wide strips of what used to be heather for several hundredyards so that a fire could not cross up into the moor above.Then we noticed that a lot of heather was dead on the otherside of the road. To burn it in safety would be extremelydifficult for the dead heather stretched up to within feet of theforest above. It was now into lambing time and help was hardto get. But we managed to get well over a hundred acresburned in safety.

Imagine how I felt when I walked that same area today andfound new, fresh heather had sprung up on the part we hadburned. But surprise, surprise, the diseased part we had notmanaged to burn before the burning season ended, hadreverted to the very same condition as it was in before it diedand turned ashen grey. Inside two years when not a match waslit in the lifeless area, the heather was back, seven or eightinches long exactly as it was before the farmer asked me toburn it off. Were we wasting our time? I do not think so. Thenew heather on the burned bit was fresh, green and highlynutritious while the unburned bit, although the colour healthyheather should be, looked fairly old and straggly - just like itwas before it turned grey and lifeless. Come to think of it, aman who might not regard himself as an authority on heathermanagement told me two years ago last April that the deadheather would come back to life if I left it alone.


We need prime heather to be re-established


The strange thing about compiling seasonal recipes is that you’ve got to work

ahead of the season. So it was that, on a warm, dry Summer’s day, I took to the road with James from The Wildfowler to visit the shoot at Mountstewart Estate.

One of the great things about shooting as a sport is that you

nd yourself in some truly beautiful places and, even better than that, you get to go ‘behind the scenes’ into the very heart of those places. We went through the public entrance to the well known Mountstewart (home to the Temple of Winds) but within a minute we had crossed the boundary into the private part of the estate.

Up in the yard, our tour guides for the day awaited, Mountstewart gamekeeper Drew Heaslip and one of the beaters and sometimes picker up, John Leyton.

Shooting is also wonderfully awash with traditions and etiquette and John was suitably attired in full shooting gear, graced by a very ne side by side shotgun. Well met, we were ready to get into the belly of the estate.

The next stage, a trip up to one of the drives, required leaving cars behind and jumping into Drew’s

As someone who has attended and enjoyed her fair share of both walked up and driven shooting, Emma Cowan thoroughly enjoyed her tour of the shoot at Mountstewart, even though it was out of season, in company of James of The Wildfowler Inn in Greyabbey. She explains how game gets from eld to table

MOUNSTEWART GAME FROM FIELD TO TABLE

ATV. Now, most shoots I’ve ever been to, I’ve been there as a journalist, usually doubling up at a beater. In such a role, rides on ATVs are not on offer, so already I was feeling special as we bumped over the track up to the drive. On the way, we passed by a massive eld of potatoes in purple ower Mash Direct Home Guard I was told.

Roy’s DriveOur destination was Roy’s Drive, a magni cent setting to simply gaze at the scenery and, of course, a perfect shooting drive. From the top of the hill, a large

eld of ripening barley spread out before us, dipping down to a backdrop of coniferous woodland and surrounded on all sides by a generous eld margin left to run riot as nature intended. To the right, lay a eld of cover crop for the pheasants and, looking across, was a magni cent view over Strangford Lough. I could well imagine standing here on a crisp Winter’s morning, the eld reduced to stubble, the conifers giving a luxury of green backdrop and that marvellous view over the lough, waiting for the drive to unfold.

I mentioned the eld margins

and the cover crop things you don’t see on every farm. That is because the gamekeeper takes conservation just as seriously as the shooting days. Drew Heaslip’s job of rearing and nurturing the pheasants also creates a wonderful haven for all sorts of wildlife. It’s often said that the shooting man puts much more back into the countryside than he ever takes out and I, for one, subscribe to that view.

From a Gun’s perspective, Roy’s Drive has to be as close to perfection as it gets. Standing in line at the bottom of the eld, the conifers behind, the birds will come high over the crown of the hill, offering testing shooting and the chance for that magni cent high bird. Drew and John took us down to see how it would work and, standing at an imaginary peg, I could see at once how spectacular this drive would be.

The beaters would be working the ground on the far side of the barley eld the Guns would be positioned at the bottom of the hill. Some Guns would have their trusty Labradors sitting to heel waiting, others would rely on the pickers up, men or women with retriever type dogs,

who would be standing behind the guns waiting for the drive to be over. The birds would break cover and come sailing high over the hill, the Guns would shoot and some (in my experience only some) of the birds would come down. The whistle would call the end of the drive, shotguns would be broken and then the retrievers would set to work, collecting the fallen game.

To the kitchenShoot over, this is where the Wildfolwer Inn comes to the fore. The birds that are shot are genuinely wild game for the tables at The Wildfowler and Mountstewart is one of the places where their game is sourced.

Of course, game is not the sole focus at The Wildfowler, which has a wonderful sh menu celebrating its coastal location and, indeed, meat, pork and chicken that re ects the best of local produce to be found in the area. Nevertheless, in the season, you will always nd game on the menu at The Wildfowler and patrons have come to love and expect such treats. And, if you want good, honest, healthy food, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Wildfowler Inn 1 Main Street

GreyabbeyCo Down

BT22 2NE

028 427 88234 [email protected]

Serving Great Game!www.wildfowlerinn.co.uk

After our trip to Mountstewart, back at the Wildfowler Inn, chef Paul Heron had a mouthwatering array of game dishes ready for the camera. Game features regularly on Wildfowler menu in season, as well as sh and seafood, beef, pork, chicken and lamb, always served with the nest seasonal vegetables.

METHOD1. Butterfly the pheasant breast then sandwich between cling film, flatten with a sauce pan, remove cling film.

2. Sauté the mushrooms, garlic and shallots in butter, season and finish with parsley.

3. Spread a layer of mushroom mix in the middle of the pheasant, roll into a sausage shape, wrap in bacon, then roll in cling film and tie at both ends, poach in simmering water for 20 minutes. Unwrap from film, fry in a hot pan until golden brown, slice and serve

4. For the carrots: Place in a saucepan and simmer for 8 – 10 minutes.

5. For the sauce: Sauté the shallots in the oil over low heat, to soften without adding colour. Add the thyme, and fresh bay leaf and fry for one minute. Add the red wine, Madeira and chicken stock and boil to reduce. Remove the bay leaf. Whisk in the butter to thicken and glaze the sauce.

6. For the confit pheasant legs: Place all ingredients in a deep pan and cook in the oven for 2 hours at 90C/200F/Gas ¼.

7. For the pie, cut a 7cm circle and a 6cm circle of puff pastry, egg wash and bake for 10 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas 4, shred the cooked pheasant leg meat, add 3tbsp spoons of sauce, heat through and fill the pre-cooked pastry case.

8. Serve with the braised carrots and château potatoes.

Ballotine of Pheasant

INGREDIENTSFOR THE BALLOTINE• 1 small lemon, finely grated zest only• salt and freshly ground black pepper• 2 pheasant breasts, skin removed• 25g butter• 6 rashers bacon• 1 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE SAUCE• 6 shallots, peeled, chopped• 25g butter, cold and diced• 1 tbsp olive oil• sprig fresh thyme, leaves only• 1 fresh bay leaf• 75ml red wine• 75ml Madeira• 250ml demi-glace sauce or brown chicken stock

FOR THE MUSHROOMS• 25g butter• 100g wild mushrooms mix, wiped clean• flat leaf parsley• 2 garlic cloves, peeled• 1 shallot diced

FOR THE CARROTS• 3 carrots shaped into spires • 200ml chicken stock• sprig of thyme• knob of butter

FOR THE CONFIT PHEASANT LEGS• 4 pheasant legs• garlic, thyme, rock salt,• 500ml duck fat

www.wildfowlerinn.co.uk

Relaxing surroundings, excellent

Wildfowler Inn 1 Main Street

GreyabbeyCo Down

BT22 2NE

028 427 88234 [email protected]

METHOD1. Lightly score the skin of the duck, season well. Place a non stick pan on medium heat, lay the duck skin side down on the pan, cook until the fat begins to come from the duck. Turn the heat down cook for 10 minutes. Pour off excess fat during cooking to ensure a really crispy brown skin. Turn the duck, cook flesh side down for 2minutes until browned. Remove from heat, leave the duck in the pan to rest.

2. For the sauce: Reduce the wine with shallots, thyme ,bay leaf by 2/3 add stock reduce by 2/3 strain to a clean pan whisk in butter and finish with wild berries.

3. For the fondant potato: Place all in a heavy bottom pan and cook until most of the stock has reduced. Finish in the oven until golden brown and tender.

4. For the cabbage: Fry bacon and chestnuts, blanch the cabbage, drain, add to bacon and finish with cream.

Roast Duck BreastINGREDIENTS• 2 duck breasts• salt and pepper

FOR THE SAUCE• 6 shallots, peeled, chopped• 25g butter• 1 tbsp olive oil• sprig fresh thyme, leaves only• 1 fresh bay leaf• 150ml red wine• 200g mixed wild berries • 250ml demi-glace sauce, or brown chicken stock

FOR FONDANT POTATO• 2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut to shape • 50g butter• 200ml chicken stock• garlic, thyme, salt and pepper

FOR THE CABBAGE• ½ head savoy cabbage, cored and shredded• 100g smoked bacon lardons• 100g cooked chestnuts, sliced• 75ml single cream

INGREDIENTS• 4 pigeon breasts• 4 slices Clonakilty black pudding

FOR CRISPY POTATOES• 2 potatoes • 100ml clarified butter

FOR THE SAUCE• 6 shallots, peeled, chopped• 1 tbsp olive oil• sprig fresh thyme, leaves only• 75ml red wine• 75ml port • 250ml demi-glace sauce, or brown chicken stock

METHOD1. Grate the potatoes and wash off the starch, dry on tea-towel. Mix with melted butter, shape in to circle on grease proof paper and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Reduce the port and wine with shallots and thyme by two thirds, add stock and reduce by two thirds again. Strain to a clean pan.

3. Heat a non stick frying pan, sear the pigeon breasts and black pudding for 1 minute on each

4. side, remove for the heat and rest for 5 minutes.

5. Serve with crispy potatoes and port sauce.

Pan seared wood pigeon

www.facebook.com/WildfowlerInn

service, fabulous food and great drinks.

The Country Landowners Association(CLA) Game Fair is a Mecca for

country sports enthusiasts and this yearthe event was held at Ragley Hall,Alcester, Warwickshire from 19th to 21stJuly 2013. A vital component of the CLAis the renewal of the challenge betweenthe Home Countries Gundog Teams,made up this year of five spaniels andfive retrievers. To say that thecompetition is fierce is a massiveunderstatement, everything is keenlycontested and anything achieved is hardwon.

I had the privilege of travelling with the Irishteam this year, my first visit to the CLA for fiveyears, and it was wonderful to experience the buzzand excitement as we approached what is thebiggest event of its kind. But all is never plainsailing. An arduous journey in severe heat had to benegotiated after the team assembled in the Port ofDublin. I left Bangor on Wednesday evening at

6.00 pm, and after a brief sleepover, courtesy ofTom and Maeve Hughes, boarded the bus inCamlough at 5.00 am Thursday. We all arrived after

many stops at our base Hotel in Redditch at 7.00 pmThursday.

The first dog ran at 10.00 am Saturday with thetemperature above 30 degrees. The team this yearwas selected by Ken Lindsay and Tommy Hugheswho also captained and generally chaperoned theteam. Very generous sponsorship was receivedfrom Tourism Ireland, represented by MargaretMellor, and members were resplendent in emeraldgreen outfits, totally appropriate for the occasion,and from Irish Country Sports & Country Lifemagazine. Several training sessions had taken placeunder the tutelage of the captain and Willie Edgar(many thanks to dummy throwers Eddie Mooreand Ronnie Humphries).

The team looked relaxed, if apprehensive, as wemade our way to the Fair for our first glimpse of theArena. Fronted on one side by a grandstand and bya lake on the other, the course ran for about 180metres, was planted with game crop and bisectedby two fences. A wood closed in one end of the crop.The area was used for an International on day 1,and for several demonstrations, thus the coverbecame flattened in parts. Despite the intense heatand humidity, a pleasant, light breeze blew acrossthe arena from the water, providing reasonable


Peter Smith reports

The CLA Game Fair 2013

The Team with sponsors Tourism Ireland, test ground behind.

Tommy McMinn best marking lab.

The big screen says it all.

Sean Diamond with the Joe McGrathtrophy for top Irish dog.

(Below) Willie Edgar, runner up in thespaniels.

Hats off to the winners!

Sean Moriarty top overall Spaniel.


scent for those dogs handled to take advantage.The Spaniel course started with a hunt up,

followed by a marked retrieve over a fence. A waterretrieve and a blind followed by a walked up rabbitflush and a long blind over both fences completedthe run. There were 80 x 120 points for huntingpattern and style. The judges were Alec Coutts andDave Rayner.

The retrievers started with a double mark over afence, then a water retrieve followed by a longblind. The fourth was a tricky blind close to a fence,and finally a crowd pleasing, length of the coursemark. The judges were Tess Lawrence and AlanSchofield. All retrieves for both breeds were salutedby a shot.

I am pleased to report that our team was verywell supported. We swelled the ranks in thegrandstand and willed our team to success. Chiefcheerleader Barbara Hynes ensured that we werevocal and animated, vociferous and raucous werethe accusations, but we were not to be outdone byother partisan groups. There is after all somethingspecial about a shamrock fuelled: “Get on ya boy!”

Spaniels started both mornings and WillieThompson with Clanicker Oliver Hardy openedour account with a creditable 91. Immediatelyfollowing were Tim Crothers with ScroggswoodCobber with 99.

Tommy McMinn with Apollobay Apocalypse ofAstraglen had the unenviable task of being firstover the retriever course. What a job he did, postinga score of 115 with some exquisite work. SeanDiamond, a CLA first timer, followed withDoohooma Lad and his running mate was JohnHalsted. No pressure there then. Gasps andamazement filled the grandstand as Sean scores100x100 going to the last. Sean finished a wonderfuldebut with 116. Current Irish champion LorenzoHynes with Ir. FTCh Trumptaker Ash made abrilliant start but had wretched luck on a blind,which saw him finish with 91. The team had startedvery well, but clever strategic placement of handlerand dog combinations by our competitors, meantthat all was still to play for on the Sunday.

Debutante Sean Moriarty led the team on daytwo with spaniel Tersol Flash, and promptly posteda not to be equalled score of 115. He was followedby the ever reliable Willie Edgar with Int FTChMcGwyn Deallus who accumulated 114 points.

Mick Walsh with IrFTCh Hollydrive Theo roundedoff two mornings of fantastic work with a score of107. The spaniels had finished clear by 20 points,and most importantly 46 clear of England, who weknew had a very powerful retriever team.

Hope, as well as blood pressure, was risingwhen, after lunch, Captain Tommy Hughes enteredthe fray with Int FTCh Apache Joe and finishedwith a worthy 111 points. One more to go - whatwas our margin? Calculators and the best availablemathematical brains were summoned to work out astrategy as, true to form, the scores of the last fourdogs were not released. The fate of the nationalgundog team rested on the shoulders of RichardJohnston with Shimnavale Excalibur, whoperformed well to post a score of 104.

We thought, hoped and dared to believe thatmaybe the team had done enough, but it was notuntil thirty long minutes later that commentatorMartin Deeley confirmed that Ireland were overalltop team with a total score of 1063 points.

We were magnanimous in victory and boy didwe enjoy the moment. The team had achieved awonderful victory, under the most stressful ofconditions. The dogs had endured tremendousheat, had travelled, rested and lived in a cage on abus for many hours and days, but had come out andconvincingly beaten the best the home countriescould muster. The whole team deserve ourcongratulations. Thanks are due to sponsorsTourism Ireland, the CLA and everyone whocontributed to this epic victory.

The journey home in the wee small hours ofMonday morning was not just as bad as weexpected, that is, after we found a wheelbarrow tohelp us carry all of our trophies!

Individual Awards Best Spaniel Sean Moriarty

Runner up Willie Edgar

Best Hunting Spaniel Eddie Scott, Scotland

Best Retriever John Halsted, England

Runner up Sean Diamond

Best marker Tommy McMinn

Best Irish Dog Sean Diamond

Best Irish Retriever Sean Diamond

Best Irish Spaniel Sean Moriarty


YILDIZ SHOTGUNSYildiz is one of the World’s leading manufacturers of hunting and sporting shotguns and we’re very are proud to be associated with Milbro for the past 12yrs as our Irish distributor. Milbro and Yildiz continue to provide high quality products and services while maintaining our reputation as the industry leader. Yildiz Shotguns are made by qualified technicians with many years of experience in research and development. We proudly work with the best in raw materials and excellent Turkish wood for our stocks. We utilise CNC technology, wire erosion techniques and solid works technologies. Today Yildiz exports its products to over 50 countries throughout the World including Ireland.

The characteristics that distinguish the Yildiz Shotgun include reliability, originality, performance and it comes as no surprise that Yildiz won the "Best Gun of 2010" by the Shooting industry of England.

"At Yildiz, we stand behind our product and will continue to build our reputation for producing exceptional products with great craftsmanship."

Millard Brothers (Ireland) LtdUnit 4A Ballymount Cross Industrial Estate, Ballymount, Dublin 24Telephone: 01-4298645Facsimile: 01-4298646email: [email protected]: www.milbro.com

DUBLINS LARGEST GUN SHOP

LARGE NUMBER OF SECOND-HAND RIFLES+SHOTGUNS AMMUNITIONINCLUDES ALL MAJOR BRANDS! CLEANING GEAR, CLOTHING, WELLIES + BOOTS

10A The Crescent, Monkstown, Co. DublinPh: 01-2808988 Fax: 01 2300544

Email:[email protected] our New Website:www.crescentsports.ie

NEW SHOTGUNSAYA No.2 ROUND ACTION 20g...................................................................€4500FAUSTI SL STYLE 12g DT..............................................................................€1590SILMA M80 SPORTER .....................................................................................€995BERETTA 686 Game 12g ..............................................................................€1795LUMAR SCIROCCO O/U 20g...........................................................................€590WEBLEY&SCOTT 12g SPORTER .....................................................................€890WEBLEY&SCOTT 12G GAME .........................................................................€845NEW RIFLESWEATHERDY VANGUARD Synthetic.243......................................................€795WEATHERBY VANGUARD Wood.308 ...........................................................€895STEYR PRO-HUNTER.243 .............................................................................€1075STEYR PRO-HUNTER.223+RINGS+T8 MOD .................................................€1290CZ DELUXE 550 .30-06 ...................................................................................€975REMINGTON 700 SLESS 25-06 .......................................................................€975TIKKA T3 TACTICAL.223 ..............................................................................€1750RUGER NO.1 450/400 ...................................................................................€1750

There is much to anticipate in theupcoming season for Pointers and Setters

in Ulster. Over the last few years our dogshave enjoyed considerable success acrossthese islands and, as we prepare to begin ournew season with the first trial in mid-August,but the majority in September and October,we have several new features this season tolook forward too.

The most exciting, I think, is the introduction of a newBreed Stake. We have had two very successful breedclubs in Ulster for many years: the Ulster Irish Red SetterClub was formed in 1908 and the Northern IrelandPointer Club was founded in 1948. Both these Clubshave run a Stake each year dedicated to their breed. TheRed Breed Stake, which has been run at MurleyMountain for over 40 years, is the one all red dog peoplewant to win and it is certainly a desire shared by thepointer fraternity when they get together in Co Antrimfor the Pointer Breed Stake on the last Friday inSeptember each year. However, there has never been anEnglish Setter breed club here and so no stake dedicatedto them. We do have the very successful English SetterClub of Ireland, which is affiliated to the Irish Kennel

Club and which runs two successful breed stakes eachyear, one on grouse in the Dublin mountains early inAugust and one in on pheasant in the beet fields of CoCarlow in early October (more details on their activitiescan be found at www.escofi.wordpress.com).

But, given the success of English Setters from Irelandin recent years in all of Ireland and the UK, we thoughtit was high time we gave the breed the recognition theydeserved through holding a stake for them here in thenorth. As we do not currently have an Ulster EnglishSetter Club, the Kennel Club gave the Northern IrelandPointer Club permission to run an All Aged Stakeconfined to English Setters. This will be run on Sunday22nd September at Glennoo Shoot near Fivemiletown inCo Tyrone. It is interesting to note that the N I PointerClub first felt the inclination to run a stake for EnglishSetters early in its existence, the question was discussedat its AGM in 1951, but unfortunately it was deemed notto be viable. We are particularly hopeful that 52 yearsafter it was first thought of, this September will see usrun a stake that will celebrate the best of this fantasticbreed. We would encourage anyone with an EnglishSetter or an interest in English Setters to come along andspectate – or even better – participate. Dogs must be


From ‘Glynlark’

Inaugural English Setter BreedStake to be held In Ulster

The last Int FTCh English Setter Dog - Gerald Devine’s great International Field Trial Champion Gardenfield Warrior.

registered with the Kennel Club in London in order to beable to enter. Forms for this can be downloaded fromtheir web-site:www.thekennelclub.org.uk/kcforms

The best running ground for our dogs in Ireland The venue is the fantastic Glennoo Shoot

(www.glennoo.com) positioned on the northern edge ofthe Monaghan mountains, near Fivemiletown. Thisrange of ground is perhaps the best running ground forour dogs in Ireland, but what makes it particularlyspecial for us is the range of game available. The Shoot isthe result of the vision of Tom Woods, who haswelcomed the Setter and Pointer fraternity to the groundfor the last two years, when we have had some fantasticTrials. The partridge have given us some great sport onour visits and Tom cannot do enough to ensure our trialsare a great success. For those of you who have neverattended a Setter and Pointer Trial, game is not shot, thedogs are judged on their speed and style and their abilityto find and produce game. A blank shot is fired as thebird is flushed. However the abundance of game Tomproduces for us can really make us appreciate what a


Paddy Peoples with his Open Stake winning ESD CastorrockGlen.

Gerald Devine with three of the winning members of the2009 Ballyellen Litter - Ballyellen Colleen, FTCh BallyellenCody and FTCh Ballyellen Cara.

FTCh Ballyellen Cody - the Tower Bird Trophy winner forbest Pointer or Setter in the UK 2012 season.

great place this is for any shooting man.Glennoo has had a long association withPointers and Setters as its previous tenant wasCanon Dermot Griffith from Killyman whowas a lifelong pointer man and Chairman ofthe Northern Ireland Grouse Council. Iremember some fantastic trials here in theeighties and nineties until lack of game madeus look elsewhere to run the Trials. With Tomnow at the helm, it’s great to return to thevenue where so many legends of our sporthave enjoyed success and see it restored togreatness.

2013 seems a timely moment to launch thisstake as Ulster English Setter success has justbeen crowned by the announcement that anEnglish Setter from Ulster is the winner of thisyear’s Tower Bird Trophy. This is an awardmade by the BASC to the best dog under fouryears of age in each of the four gundogsections throughout the UK. The winner ofthe Trophy for Pointers and Setters wasGerald Devine’s FTCh Ballyellen Cody whohad an exceptionally successful season lastyear. Cody was bred in Kilkenny by RedMills’ Bill Connolly and Cody’s successtogether with that of his sisters FTChBallyellen Cara and Ballyellen Colleen and hisbrother Ballyellen Moss show what asuccessful mating this has been. However, asI see it, this mating continues the evolution ofthe English Setter in Ireland which has been

ongoing since the use of the import Moka de Salle Vertein the sixties produced some excellent dogs who weresuccessful in their own right and also enhanced the lineswhich are still being developed today by other carefulintroductions of new blood such as Johnny Geoghegan’stwo Norwegian dogs FTCh Storeskars G’Snorre andFTCh Storeskars II Odin and more recently JohnQuirke’s kennel of new blood including Heegard VKody, who sired the Ballyellen litter.

The English Setter breeders from this island, the menwho have worked and trialled their dogs extensivelyand really know the characteristics of the breed andwhat matings are likely to work, have proved time andagain that they are very forward thinking when it comesto developing this great breed and we very much hopethat the establishment of this stake will prove a successand be a great showcase for one of the most effectivebird-dog breeds we have.

Further details can be got from NI Pointer Club Hon.Secretary Carol Calvert at [email protected]


FTCh Gortinreagh Aztec of Glynlark achieving his FTCh titlein Scotland in August, 2012. Joe Dobbin with his young hopeful Falconstoop George.

Top Winning Dogs Thrive on

Dogs such as those owned by Alan Rountree:

These owners of top field trial, working test and show dogs all consider that by feedingFeedwell products, they get the performance from their dogs that they require.

These are just some of the owners of all types of dogs who use Feedwell regularly and expresstheir satisfaction with well formulated products available at sensible prices.

Animal Foods Ltd.The Old Mill, Annsborough, Castlewellan, Co. Down, BT31 9NH

Tel: (028) 4377 8765 Fax: (028) 4377 1420Email: [email protected] www.feedwell.com

Damian Newman

John Wilson

Feedwell makes Top Quality Products

and Supports your sport Winston Kelly’sGlenloch Tyler &Carraigairt Adam

Tim Crothers

Alan C.M. Rountree casting Int FT Ch Waterford Edward of Tasco in the recent IKChamponship. They finished 2nd adding to Alan's illustrious handling record inthe championship - one that is unlikely to be equalled.

Finbar’s O’Sullivan’s IR.FTCH Rommels Mystery

The Irish Game and Country Fair atShanes Castle

It wasn’t just the amazing birds of prey thatsoared to new heights at the Irish Game

Fair at Shanes Castle. Record numbers of thepublic poured through the gates to see whathad been billed as the ‘biggest and best everIrish Game Fair.’

Game Fair Director Albert explained why thethousands came despite the odd touch of drizzle: “Wesimply deliver what the public wants and expects fromthe Great Game Fairs of Ireland’s fairs. This year weworked hard to make sure that Shanes was extra special,we told the public what was on offer and the publicresponded.

“We had the best ever range of competitions and thebiggest prize fund, a huge tented village of trade standswith a real country lifestyle theme and, for the first time,three arenas operating with action packed programmes:The Main Arena; the ‘Countrysports in Action’ arenawhere the public could interact with the stars of theshow and the Living History arena set in the midst of there-enactors’ Living History Village with a timeline from

the Vikings to the Georgian period in the lee of theancient Shanes Castle.”

“Shanes also catered for the public’s fascination withfine food, especially with locally sourced produce and atShanes we had the best ever Fine Food Festival - thelargest ever seen at any Irish Game or Country Fair - andsome really exciting top notch game and fish cookerydemonstrations.

“We had Ireland’s largestand most varied range ofcanine competitions anddisplays with internationalgundogs, while IanOpenshaw - the mostsuccessful handler in theworld - held the packedArena audiences spellboundalong with the CLAinternational team and DogGuru Keith Mathews whoincludes Shanes in his busyschedule of internationaldog training masterclasses.”

“The widest range of Irishhunting, shooting andfishing organisationsexhibited and also theKennel Club from London,not to mention the displayvehicles old and new

including horse & carriages, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, aDe Lorean; old military vehicles, fire engines etc to thelatest 4 x 4s there was simply so much to see and do thatmany of the public decided to come for both days of thefair.

Commenting on the economic boost which the gamefair makes to the local area, Albert said: “The recordcrowds at Shanes Castle, Antrim meant a vital economicboost for the whole area. I know that hotels and guesthouses were fully booked over the weekend andunderstand that some have even taken repeat bookingsfor next year. The economic boost is significant for thelocal economy given these tough economic times.” Avideo of the fair can be seen at:https://vimeo.com/70935716


The GREAT GAME FAIRS ofIRELAND reject hype and deliver

‘Irelands Leading Game Fairs’

Ireland’s Leading Game Fair?With Shanes over, final touches were made for the

Irish Game and Country fair at Birr, Co Offaly on 31stAugust and 1st September and the Great Game Fairs ofIreland team were truly up for the challenge from theteam organising the country fair at Borris who hadboasted that the Carlow Fair was ‘Ireland’s leading gamefair.’

When asked by the media at the event for his reactionAlbert Titterington simply stated: “We have a trackrecord since 1979 of organising super fairs at Shanes anda fantastic fair in the most beautiful grounds of BirrCastle. With the 2013 Irish Game and Country Fair at BirrCastle, being our 53rd Irish Game Fair – I was more thanhappy to put up our successful track record of deliveringfairs and especially those at Birr up against the history ofthe ROI fairs organised by others. It’s a no-brainer really- the 2013 Fair at Birr Castle was the largest game orcountry fair staged in the ROI and with the fair at Shanes,also being successful, without doubt the Great GameFairs of Ireland brand delivered the two leading game orcountry fairs in Ireland in 2013!.”

Albert’s confidence was fully justified as the fair atBorris, after a few modest years at both Clonmellon andBorris appeared to go back rather than forward, whileBirr attracted record numbers of visitors, recordnumbers of stands, a fantastic prize structure, hugenumbers of international competitors and a greateconomic boost for the region. After the 2013 fairs theonly topic for many as to which was Ireland’s leadingfair was which of the two Great Game Fairs of Irelandwas ‘Ireland’s leading Game Fair’ – Shanes Castle orBirr Castle!

Fantastic weather and Birr sets recordsWhile the fair at Shanes Castle had mixed weather the

fair at Birr Castle had great weather and dry ground anddust were the largest problems. Every aspect of the eventhad been stepped up with a truly massive prize fund forall of the events; new arena attractions, a great turnout oftrade stands and super presentations put on by the majorcountry sports organisations. The estate played its partby having the grounds in superb condition and a brandnew attraction for the public – a 39’ tree house. As partof the Gathering celebrations the fair really did make amajor contribution with Mid Ireland Tourism reportingthat accommodation in the area to a radius of nearly 40miles of Birr was booked up. Trade too was excellentwith both local and international traders reportingexcellent business. A video of the fair will be availablesoon on our facebook page.

Gundogs at the FairsAfter 2013 there is absolutely no argument about

which fairs in Ireland deliver the best gundog weekends– it is of course the Great Game Fairs of Ireland! AtShanes Castle there were visiting teams from Wales,England and the ROI in the Feedwell InternationalRetriever Tests and the Red Mills International SpanielTests and record numbers of retrievers and spanielstaking part in a range of novice and open tests. Top prizein an imaginative run off for ‘Top Dog’ between the twotop retrievers and the two top spaniels was a KM Trailerworth £2,000 with the best opposite breed handlerwinning a pair of Dubarry Boots. The gundogs were alsogreatly enhanced by a visit by Ian Openshaw arguablythe world’s most successful gundog handler ever. Aspecial Shanes Castle Gundog programme can be seen athttps://vimeo.com/69578781.

The gundog events at Birr were sponsored by RedMills and also attracted record entries for any fair in theROI and once again a KM Trailer and Dubarry bootswere available for the run off for ‘Top Dog’. Both trailerswere won by ROI spaniels : Sean Moriarty at Birr andBarry Caffrey at Shanes Castle, so for 2014 there are verybig challenges ahead for international retriever handlersto redress the balance.

Terrier & Lurchers at the FairsOnce again the top Irish terrier, whippet and lurcher

events were staged at the two Great Game Fairs ofIreland. Shanes Castle hosted the 26th Annual AllIreland Terrier, Whippet and Lurcher Racing andShowing Championships sponsored by Feedwellwhich drew a huge entry and Ireland’s topinternational racing challenge the Red Mills MasterMcGrath Challenge with dogs qualifying from all overIreland and the UK.

Birr Castle hosted the Red Mills ROI Terrier, Whippetand Lurcher Racing and Showing Championships andthe two Red Mills Five Nations InternationalChampionships for Terriers and Lurchers. The latterchampionships had qualifying events throughout Irelandand the UK and honours were split with a top Englishterrier winning and a top Irish lurcher retaining its title.

And of course there was the final of the Mourne AllIreland Digging Championships organised by KieranYoung.

Clay Shooting at the FairsOnce again both fairs hosted events with unrivalled

prizes with three shotguns and a range of prizes to bewon at Shanes and four shotguns and a truly massiverange of prizes to be won at Birr. In each case there wasa novel competition where all shooters went into a drawfor a £2,000 gun sponsored by Tommy Beattie at Shanesand a €2,000 gun sponsored by Francesco Morelli(Casale) at Birr.


Irish Countrysports and Country lifeLifetime Commitment Awards

Every year ICS&CL makes several awards for peoplewho the magazine staff consider have made a majorcontribution to country sports in Ireland and who areprepared to commit to even more of a contribution. ThisYear the Brownlow Award for the person making themost important contribution in 2013 went to Noel Carrfor his work on salmon conservation. A special award forhis work on promoting stick making went to LindsayCarlisle.

Other Awards went to : Kieran Young (for organisingthe best specialist terrier, whippet and lurcher show andthe Mourne Digging Championships) Margaret Mc Stay(for her promotional work on terrier, whippets &lurchers); Dorothy Park (for her organising of dog showsat the game fair, her dog breeding and her work withsetter rescue); Simon Devereux and Chris Gavican (fortheir magnificent work for country sports with theNARGC); Willie Thompson (for his work with theinternational Springer Spaniel teams); Roy Rankin (for

his contribution to gundogs in terms of judging, breedingand competing); David Lalor (for his contribution tohunting in Ireland) and Oliver Russell (for his work aschairman of FACE Ireland) and John Holmes fromMoyola Estate and Robin Magee, Rademon Estate, fortheir contribution as game keepers to the preservation ofthe countryside and their contribution to country sports.

Paul Pringle and David Riordan received thepresentation of Lindsay Carlisle sticks for theircontribution to Irish country sports in 2013.

Great attractions for the familyThere were a large number of events and attractions at

both fairs for the huge family attendances at both eventsincluding the magnificent range of shoppingopportunities in the huge tented village; the Fine FoodFestivals; action packed arena programmes; livinghistory re-enactments; lots of have a go opportunitiesand animal galore. AND we understand thatnegotiations are nearly complete for even more newattractions for 2014.


N.B. Fuller details of all competition winners will be published in the Winter edition of the magazine. For further details of the 2014 fairs bookmark www.irishgamefair.com

and www.irishgameandcountryfair.com follow us on facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Game-Fairs-of-Ireland/366710296491

Pictured at the Great Game Fairs of Ireland

1. Arena crowds loved the Dog Guru at both Shanes & Birr Castle Events.

2. Rabbits were on the menu at the two Flavour Food Festivals - here theVictorian Poacher shows Food Festival organiser Emma Cowan some of thetools of the trade.

3. The Poacher has a new adversary - the Keeper ‘Fast Hands’ Eddie Dash

4. Chef Emmet McCourt and Flavour Food Festival organisers Kathy Jensen& Emma Cowan try a rabbit dish.

5. Bunny Girl - Ingrid Houwers says ‘this rabbits not for eating!’

6. Paul Pringle presents Mayor Roderick Swann with a fine stick by LindsayCarlisle

7. Jill Pringle admires the superbly carved stick by Lindsay Carlisle that Paulwas presented with for his campaigning work with the magazine.


3 4

5

6

7

1

2


1. Countrysports and Country Life Lifetime Commitment award winners atShanes. (photo Cook)

2. Simon Devereaux receives his Lifetime Commitment Award fromMarcella Corcorain-Kelly TD, Lady Rosse and Des Crofton.

3. Chris Gavican receives his Lifetime Commitment Award from MarcellaCorcorain-Kelly TD, and Des Crofton.

4. David Lalor receives his Lifetime commitment award from DavidWilkinson and Lady Rosse.

5. Lindsay Carlisle receives a special award from Tom Fulton for hiscontribution to stickmaking in Ireland.

6. Albert Titterington and Lindsay Carlisle present Ian Openshaw with aspecial Lindsay Carlisle stick.

7. Carriage driving proved popular with the arena crowds at Shanes & Birr.

2 3

4 5 6

7

1

1. Seeing how its done - hospitality trainees from World Host visited thefair and are pictured with their trainer, the Mayor of Antrim and KarenSteele events manager Antrim Council.

2. Hounds at Shanes.

3. The Muzzle Loaders are a regular attraction at both Shanes and BirrCastle Fairs.

4. Straight out of a history book!- Andrew Dineley from the Best of TimesWorst of times is always very well turned out in clothes of variousperiods.

5. The future- one of the youngest gundog handlers at Shanes CaitlinThomas.

6. Antrim has a historical connection with wolfhounds through theMassereene Hound legend - here three took part in the dog show atShanes Castle.

7. Some of the massive crowd that thronged the aisles at Birr.


1

2

3

4 5

6

7

1. A busy Food Festival at Birr.

2. The Late Philip Lawton’s daughter Naomi presenting the CelticStickmakers Philip Lawton Memorial Shield for the best fancy stick.

3. Liz McCracken presenting the John McClelland Memorial cup to thewinner of the All Ireland Stickmakers Championships.

4. Catherine Lawton presenting the Philip Lawton Memorial Cup for Clayshooting (donated by Albert & Irene Titterington) to Seamus Glennon andSeamus Pierce of the Derrinsallow Shoot.

5. Rachel, David and Martin Brennan from Ardee Sports with theSulmi shotgun they put up for a prize at Birr.

6. Francesco Morelli (Casale) presents Seamus Pierce with the gun to beused as the prize for the shoot draw.

7. Ormonde Foxhounds parade at Birr.

2

34

5

6

7

1


1. Crowd watching the attack on the castle at Birr.

2. Defenders sally forth from the castle to repel attackers.

3. Attackers and defenders clash.

4. Game Fair Director Albert Titterington is always delighted to seethe Bowers family at Shanes.

5. Kids enjoy mixing with the hounds.

6. Canine endeavour to win the Master McGrath Challenge.

7. Manual endeavour Game Fair Director Albert Titterington andorganiser Kieran Young with the gentlemen and lady competitorsin the Mourne Digging Championships.

2

3

4

5 6

7

1


1. Barry Caffrey winner of the Top Dog Award at Shanes Castle and theKM Trailer with Keith McLoughlin of KM trailers.2. Sean Moriarty winner of the Top Dog Award at Birr Castle and theKM Trailer with Brendan O’Kane of KM trailers.3. Albert Titterington presents the prizes in the Feedwell InternationalRetriever Test at Shanes to the ROI team.4. Jenny Crozier from sponsors Red Mills with the two top spanielshandlers at Shanes Castle.5. The international judges with the English captain at the Red Millsinternational spaniel event at Shanes Castle6. Two very important ladies at the fair - Ingrid Houwers model,taxidermist and presenter and Director Irene Titterington who says shedoes all the work that husband Albert doesn’t like doing.7. Irene says Director Albert Titterington likes talking about the futurefairs while she deals with the current ones!


2

3 4

5

6

1

7

THIS PAGEAbove: Charlie Cole's cookery demonstrations using cabrito kid goat meat from the family's Broughgammon Farm were a big hit with visitors, many of whom went home armed with a cut of goat to cook themselves after tasting how sweet and tender it is.Below left: Clare McEnteggart’s Bia Blasta's Bang Bang marinade was another 'must have' on my shopping

list - the Oriental flavours are right up my street… mind you, the Caesar Dressing was hard to resist too.Centre: Visitors were definitely enticed by DJ's juice and cider, especially their Tempted? Strawberry Cider - a perfect marriage of Armagh's finest bramleys and strawberry wine.Right: I generally steer clear of ready-made sauces, but Aruna's curry sauces are incredibly delicious. My favourite's the korma - I could just sup it out of the packet it's so nice!

FACING PAGETop left: Geterbrewed's kits for making beer, wine and cider at home were very popular with visitors and, based on the samples of the wines Deborah Mitchell has made herself, I could be tempted to follow in mummy and granny’s footsteps and get brewing myself!Right: Flavour’s Rebecca and Una with the fabulous hamper of treats from our exhibitors, which was

by Kathy Jensen


won by Eric, who ironically lives just down the road from Shanes Castle and was probably tucking into all his goodies within an hour of the show closing! Winner of the Calor Mini BBQ was Irene Jeffers from Stewartstown, who enjoyed the whole event so much on Saturday she came back again on Sunday! Congratulations to you both from everyone at Flavour.Second left: I could usually walk past cakes all day without a glance, but I couldn't do so with the Diana's Treats stand! Diana Milligan's cakes and cookies are just the tastiest ever! Better still, if you are coeliac, they are all gluten and wheat free!Right: A really good knife or three are essential tools for anyone who enjoys cooking and the range from Michael Chance of Flint & Flame comes highly recommended in the shape of the number of celebrity chefs who use them. I would just love the complete set.Third left: The new Strawberry & Lime and Raspberry flavours of Crabbies Ginger Beer were flying out of the chiller cabinet all day.Centre: Chef Emmett McCourt with just two of the dishes he presented over the weekend. Rebecca, Emma and Una from Flavour are in the background.Right: Glenisk's organic yogurts are rich, creamy and packed full of flavour. Mary Mullins (right) and daughter were handing them out free all weekend!Bottom left: Every time I stopped for a chat with Jenna Stevenson, my right hand took on a life of its own, reaching out for a piece of bread to dip in her divine Pukara Estate extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars!Centre: Not only do they look gorgeous, but I can assure you that Ferdia Fine Foods artisan chocolates taste gorgeous too. The only problem with them is that you want to eat them all!Right: This colourful display of Tupperware from John and Annette Keane just begged to be taken home to brighten up the kitchen. It's not just a pretty face though - the Tupperware range has practical uses for just about everything to do with food.


This is the story of how Troy, a beautifulblack Labrador, got Lyme disease from a

tick bite while out hunting. The Lyme diseasegave him heart trouble that ended with himhaving a pacemaker fitted to the back of hisneck. Last summer I took a stand at the BirrGame Fair, thanks to the support of theCountryside Alliance Ireland. I was there toencourage people to protect them selves andtheir animals against tick bites and thediseases they carry. While there, I met MartinRigby and he told me the story of his dog andthe dramatic effect a tick bite had on him.Though this story takes place in the UK itcould just as easily have been in Ireland, onthe continent or anywhere in the world barthe North and South pole. This is whatMartin said and it certainly gives food forthought for dog owners.

“It was early July 1998, another morning and the sunwas shining – a great day I thought. As usual, I walkedout of the house across to Troy’s kennel to take him forhis morning walk. Troy was my black Labrador gundog.I had bought him as a fully trained two year old, fiveyears previously from a top class field trials trainer. Troywas just what I had been looking for to replace myeleven year old black Labrador Dan, who had becomecrippled with arthritis, no doubt not helped by plenty ofwildfowling in Scotland and the East Anglian fens, bothvery wet and cold places in winter. For me, Troy wasperfect and I just knew he would have no trouble withheavy Greylag geese, the stone walls and 5 bar gates thatwere so often encountered on the way!

“So, one morning, it was to be the normal walk beforebreakfast, but I noticed that, unusually, there was noexcited Troy bounding around in kennel run, he must beasleep I thought. As I opened the kennel door, a very sadlooking Troy stuck his head out and slowly emergedfrom the kennel. I had noticed he had been a bit stiff inthe mornings over the past week or so but I had just putthat down to age. Today was different though; Troy wasdefinitely not well. Later, when I got home from work,he looked decidedly worse so we went straight off to thevets I used in Hardwick, which is on the outskirts ofCambridge.

“The vet quickly discovered that Troy’s temperaturewas very low and he had a very slow heart rate and aweak pulse she said. At best his heart was just about

keeping him alive. What had we been up to, where hadwe been and could he have picked up some poison sheasked? I explained that we had been doing very littleshooting other than a few rabbits in Scotland, a couple ofmonths earlier and there was certainly very little chanceof poison around my home or the land I owned aroundit, which was where he was exercised daily. Laura, thevet, said she wanted to do an X-ray and some blood testsand she would keep him overnight for observation, so Iwas to call back the following evening for the results.

“The blood tests showed no signs of poisons but therewas an indication of Lyme’s and she had found signs oftick bites. Laura explained that her examinations hadshown there was a neurological problem, which meantTroy’s heart was not getting signals from his brain to gofaster and so it was beating slowly which wasn’tsufficient to keep his blood pressure high enough. Shewent on to explain that Lyme’s disease was known togive heart problems. I asked what could she do and shesaid very little, and warned me that Troy would notsurvive for long in the state he was in. I asked were there


From Ness Porter

Troy The Bionic Dog

A very worried Martin Rigby with Troy before his operation

www.kennelruns.comTel: (028) 29540183 Mob: 07887746511

ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

any possible options other than putting him to sleep andit was suggested he could be fitted with a pacemaker.Can you do that to dogs I asked? Laura explained thatthe nearby Cambridge University Veterinary Collegecould and she would call them to see if they wouldconsider Troy for the operation.

“She explained the device would be put under hisskin at the back of his neck and a lead containing theelectrode would be passed down through his jugularvein into his heart. This then provided the electricalimpulse which would make his heart beat faster. So theoperation was done and when I went to collect Troy Iwas told they would be very sorry to see him leave. Hewas such a character the students had actually kept himin their room rather than let him sleep in kennels!

“I was a happy man and Troy was back to his old self- a bouncing bundle of energy and just the way Iremembered him before the ticks had done theirdamage. Troy’s skin healed quickly and the hair grewback so well that you could only tell he had a pacemakerfitted if you felt around at the back of his neck. It felt likea hard box about the size of a small box of matches andTroy didn’t show the least bit of concern, quite thereverse, as he enjoyed all the fuss as people wanted tofeel it in amazement that a dog had a pacemaker.

“Troy lived and worked another four years before itwas time to retire him. I had had a fantastic dog for all

that time, he was definitely one in a million. He livedanother 18 months before he eventually suffered heartfailure which meant I had to sadly call Laura to comeand put him to sleep, another sad day, but we all knowthose days eventually come. The most noteworthy thingabout all this, was that something as seeminglyinsignificant as a tiny insect bite could have been sodevastating.

“Protecting your dog from ticks makes sense for boththem and you. By using something like ‘Spot On’ or achemical collar, the dogs will be less likely to become illand bring ticks home. There is a good choice on themarket now, so have a chat with your vet and see whatthey find best. It is a good idea, even if you are using apreventative, to do a regular inspection for ticks. It isextremely important to remove ticks correctly. If you useany substances directly on the ticks or squeeze it with atweezers or your fingers, you can cause the tick to pushany infections directly into the blood steam. There byincreasing the risk of illness.”

Borrelia or Lyme is only one of several nasty diseasesthat the ticks can give you or your dog, cat scratch(babisia) or red water (bartonella) are a couple of others.So check out www.bada-uk.org. for all the diseases andsymptoms, like fever arthritis loss of appetite and organproblems. Take precautions, inform yourself, from thepet section of the website, and.... happy hunting!

Back in action - Troy delivers a partridge


The Dog Guru, August 2012About a year ago there was a long term project on

which I had been working with Keith Mathews ‘The DogGuru.’ Keith and I had been filming a DVD productionon gun-dog training for the previous three years and itwas now coming to a conclusion. ‘Retriever Training –Guru Style’ was about to be launched. Keith, had beeninvolved with his BBC programme series ‘Good Dog,Bad Dog’ and together with his appearances on theBBC’s The One Show, he had seen at first hand whatwent into programme production.

But why did it take three years you may ask? Theanswer is a straightforward one: factual training - as itactually happens - or how to take a puppy and train it tobe a champion takes time.

Over the years many DVD’s have been produced ontraining gun-dogs, but the detail was sparse and all thetrainers used fully trained dogs. Keith wanted to befactual, he wanted to train the dogs in real time, showingand correcting problems as they arose and more

importantly, how to prevent problems arising.

A learning curve Having owned Labradors for some thirty years I was

intrigued to see how these puppies would be trainedand to view at first hand how Keith was going to achievewhat he maintained was possible; put simply, he wantedto create the best Gun Dog training DVD set of all time.

Because of the time scale involved this was a majorchallenge. Not only was it going to be time consuming,but it would also involve a massive amount of‘continuity’ work and that can be a very boring andrepetitive process because you have to check everythingas to how things appear on screen. We had to check howKeith would be dressed, how he would appear onscreen, which dogs would be used and how they alsowould appear on screen, plus, which exercises eachwould undertake and if we had to revisit for anyadditional filming, which locations were used for eachparticular exercise. Scripting took an age, but the

breakfasts were good and weenjoyed constructing theprogramme, the detail of which wascolossal; no one had attemptedanything like this before and itwould set a standard that wouldnever be equalled.

‘Retriever Training - Guru Style’was completed in November 2012,three years had flown by and wewere able to sit back and view ourhandiwork. To say that we were bothdelighted is an understatement. Thejourney had been a long one, wefilmed in Norway, Sweden, and


From Harry Cook, Image Media Films

A Year in the Life

The author Harry Cook.

Some time ago I was asked by Albert Titterington, Director ofthe Great Game Fairs of Ireland, if I would write a short piece

on what a film production company does. I had already producedsome films for Albert, about the Game Fairs which he organises,but he was interested to know what a typical year involves, justwhat exactly goes on behind the scenes and so, with that in mind,we now step back in time.

On location at Gisselfeld Estate inDenmark.

Denmark, as well as here at home in Ireland, meetingsome wonderful people and making many friends withwhom we communicate to this very day.

The filming in Ireland was special, as we were able toshow how beautiful our country really is. We filmed onTorr Head, Benone Strand, the Mourne Mountains andmany other spectacular locations and the final retrieve inthe mountains at Slieve Gallion, County Armagh, where‘Ross’ made a four hundred metre retrieve was simplyunforgettable. Keith always maintained that it could bedone, I wasn’t so sure, but I was proven to be wrong andthe knowledge, which Keith imparts, enables anyone totrain a dog - even I can do it.

The big question that Keith posed to me was this: if hewere to give me a Copperbirch Labrador, Keith’s ownkennel breed, would I be able to train it from the DVD.My answer was immediate: yes, I could and not onlythat but probably beat him in any test he would set up.Sadly we have been unable to put that to the test, as Icannot devote the time and dedication to take up thechallenge, but we have learned that others have indeedsucceeded in doing what we set out to achieve, namely,to train a puppy or dog to be a Champion. We are bothright chuffed!

Christmas comes but once a yearEven while ‘Retriever Training – Guru Style’ was

being filmed, other work had to be produced and a littleknown part of what I do revolves around rugby, namelyat Ballymena Rugby Football Club, where I film all thematches for post match analysis. This work involvesassisting the coaches with all the aspects of filming andpostproduction to enable a constructive critique of allthat went on during a game, how they played, numberof tackles made, or missed, etc. Throughout the seasonwe filmed games for RTE, which would be broadcast intheir Rugby slot programme ‘Against the Head.’

The rugby led me into a very different aspect offilming and one which I had steered clear of for a verylong time, that was, filming weddings. A player atBallymena asked me to film his wedding for him; hewanted a unique and memorable production. He andhis wife to be were Australian and their respectivefamilies were flying to Northern Ireland for the

wedding. I was reluctant to get involved in this because it can

have a very negative image, wedding video, does nothave a ‘television broadcast’ image and I try very hard tokeep everything which we do to the highest possiblestandard. Image is everything, as they say.

The player who asked me to film his wedding wasnone other than Tom Court, who would go on to playrugby for Ulster, Ireland and ultimately make the Britishand Irish Lion’s team. What a wedding that was andsince then wedding filming for friends and friends offriends has continued.

The standards are of course to ‘television broadcast’because that is what people are accustomed to seeingand what they want to see. Wedding filming is achallenge, but I enjoy challenges and it is very nice whena couple send a thank you card, or send flowers as athank you for a job well done.

WindmillsChristmas 2012 was a very busy time for Image Media

Films. A very big customer, Michelin, had commissionedme to film the building of two gigantic wind turbines,Mitch and Elin as they were Christened by a local school.The project had been in planning for a long time and ashooting schedule was already in place, as ‘RetrieverTraining - Guru Style’ was in the process of finishing.

Shooting began in January 2012 and continued forthirteen months, it concluded in February 2013 and thefinal film was ready for viewing one month later inMarch. Thirteen months of work was condensed intotwo films, one running fourteen minutes and the otherfive minutes. Hundreds of hours of footage edited tonineteen minutes - who said editing was easy?

The filming covered all aspects of the build, from themoment the JCB digger went through the hedge, tolaying roadways and creating platforms for the 1,000tonne crane which would lift the individual sections.They even had a 500 tonne crane to build the 1,000 tonnecrane!

This project not only involved different camera crewsbut an aspect which is used as an almost throw awayline, Health & Safety. The site was a dangerous one andclose liaison with all the agencies involved was

paramount. I am pleased toreport that there was not oneincident during the filming,although there was a close call.On the final day of filming I was


(Far Left) The editing desk at a‘live’ outside broadcast event.(Left) One of the camera crews at a‘live production in the WaterfrontHall.

invited to join one of the building crew in the basket andbe taken to the top of turbine one. We began our ascentfacing away from the turbines, I looked out overBallymena as we were slowly raised vertically. At a pointwhere I thought we were nearing the top of our climb Iasked my minder how high we were. His reply was to bethe ‘close call’ I mentioned earlier. “We are not half wayyet,” he said. I thought my knees were going to buckleunderneath me, this was terrifying and these guys dothis for a living! My only way to defuse the situation wasto ask if I might turn around and face the turbines. WhenI did so, the view was so beautiful, majestic even, that Iforgot my fear and the film and photographs weresimply out of this world, as one of the Michelin peoplesaid: “It was worth the money for those shots alone.”

Top customersOver the years, my company Image Media Films has

acquired many well-known customers. These customershave their own particular needs and demand a serviceand standard, which must be met. They have their ownimage, which must be protected, and messages to deliverto all sorts of people. These may be for television or forinternal ‘corporate’ viewing.

Another of my customers is JTI, better known asGallaher Ltd and I have produced two ‘corporate films’for them. Both were for internal viewing, they would notbe seen outside the factory, just the same in fact asMichelin with the wind turbines. The Michelin films arefor company use only and are on Michelin TV.

2013 - a big year for usWe have filmed many, many, events and it is quite

remarkable how things take turns and how strangethings can happen. Many years ago we filmed in theHighlands of Scotland at a private estate at Altnaharra.We filmed stags in the wild and had our owngamekeeper, Hamish, who would guide us daily on ourtreks through the wilderness in search of our quarry.Hamish was the most immaculately dressed person Ihave ever met. On a daily basis he would turn out like he

was a male model. But that is only the beginning of thestory.

On this trip we took our ageing Land Rover, aDefender 110 County, a V8, I must add. That led me towrite a story about my Land Rover, from it’s own pointof view of course It was entered in a competitionorganised by Land Rover and low and behold ittravelled through their selection process until we wereinvited to the Land Rover factory at Solihull to see thenew Range Rover being built.

Now that was quite something in it’s own right andthere was no one more surprised than me, but whathappened next could never have been planned. Wefilmed a short piece at the factory, on their Xperiencejungle trip, a little memento for us on our trip to thefactory. The clip was sent to Land Rover for theirapproval before being put onto our Vimeo website.Vimeo is similar to You Tube but has a higher qualitypicture. Land Rover approved the video clip.

Royal Windsor Horse ShowAbout three weeks after the trip to the Land Rover

factory, I received a telephone call asking if I’d beinterested in going to the Royal Windsor Horse Show asguests of Land Rover. I considered the invitation forabout ten seconds; it took that time to get over thesurprise, and said yes.

Royal Windsor Horse Show, the new Range Rover shoot.

The Royal Windsor trip was very special and LandRover and indeed the organisers of the Royal Windsor


The Defender makes an ideal camera car.

A view from the top of the Michelin wind turbine.

have accepted the resulting film, to such an extent thatwe have been invited back to film next year and all thiscame about from going to Altnaharra to film an event fora friend. Strange things happen

It is strange how a lifetime hobby can turn into a smallbusiness, but strange things can and do happen. Imentioned the rugby earlier and it was through rugbythat I met and filmed with Her Grace the Duchess ofAbercorn. Her Grace formed The Pushkin Trust in 1987to help children in Ireland, giving them an opportunityto be heard and to develop their creative skills.

Each year, many hundreds of children get theopportunity to take part in the Pushkin programme,which incidentally is named after Alexander Pushkin,the Russian writer and part of that programme is theannual summer camp where about fifty children andtheir teachers spend a week at Baronscourt Estate inCounty Tyrone. This is a very special time for thechildren and their creative skills are enhanced by thesurroundings, peace and tranquillity is at every turnduring the week and the children have a lot of fun.Friendship making is at the heart of the Pushkin Trust.

My involvement with Pushkin was to make a shortfilm about what the Pushkin Trust does and that filmmay be viewed on their website atwww.pushkintrust.com. But the filming here has nowtaken a very different road and a documentary aboutPushkin, is being made for television. The pilot will beshot throughout Ireland and we will be going to film inPushkin’s own country, Russia. We will travel the roadswhich he travelled and see the sights and hear thesounds which helped form his character, as he grew up.We will show what made him so special, and whatturned him into one of the world’s great writers.

At the end of the dayAt the end of the day people want to watch things on

television that interest them, which educate them, thingswhich amaze them. We watch many things on television,

we think, that were good, but were they really? Few programmes have that wow factor, that

something, which makes the programme stand out fromthe crowd, something that is different. Why doprogrammes, to mention just one The Frozen Planet,have the ability to capture our attention and moreimportantly, hold our attention? Storytelling is the key,storytelling is at the heart of a programme, images mustflow and images also tell the story. Filmmaking is abouttelling a story and, if we look back to the days of thesilent movies, we see how the Directors were able to tellstories without a spoken word. They captivated us, theydrew us into their world and we became immersed inthe story. What applied then applies to this very day, buthow did they do it? They did it through storytelling!Camera angles, looking for the right shot, thinking abouthow the audience will view the film, thinking outsidethe box, thinking differently, taking opportunities whenthey arose, filming a great sunrise or sunset which maybe used in a film at some future date, all of these thingsgo to make the movie.

I must mention one other very special ingredient inthe filmmaking mix, the ability to listen and learn on adaily basis; no one knows everything and we have to beable to listen, to look, to learn and to adapt, as someoneonce said: “We are what we think.” Think positively andyou can achieve anything to which to apply your mind.

By the time you read this we will have filmed at BirrCastle for the 2013 Great Game Fairs of Ireland event andthat film may be viewed on their website. At the end ofthe year we will be filming the Irish RetrieverChampionship and that will be available on DVDthrough our web channel www.dogandcountry.tv whereincidentally you can view the ‘Retriever Training – GuruStyle’ trailers and purchase the 4 DVD set if you wishand on that note I must end. I trust you enjoyed thisarticle and, if you did, please get in touch with the Editorand maybe in another edition I can arrange more in-depth information such as how you can improve yourown photography and filmmaking; you may even have

your own project which might beworth filming or indeed have anidea for a programme and, if so,please get in touch - don’t sit on it,just do it.

For more information on ImageMedia Films please visitwww.imagemediafilms.com orwww.harrycook.tv


Wow factor - the Model T filmshoot on the top of Ben Nevis!

6th June 2014 heralds the seventiethanniversary of D-Day. On that fateful date

in 1944, allied forces invaded Normandy inFrance by air and sea, leading to the eventualliberation of Europe. This event of seventyyears ago when many thousands of fightingmen from both the old and new worldslanded on French soil will be talked aboutinto the next century and those that follow.At this juncture plans to highlight andcelebrate next year’s anniversary are welladvanced. The few remaining D-DayVeterans, Heads of State, Government andMilitary representatives and many thousandsof relatives of the men who participated inthe invasion will attend to honour andremember all those who participated in thatmomentous event. So too will countlessthousands of Europeans who wish to dolikewise.


By Frank Brophy

D-Day - Seventy Years Later

Band of Brothers trooper BabeHeffron returns to Normandy - 2009.

Arromanches today, with remains of the Mulberry Harbour still evident.

Each year the number of veterans decreases as timeand age take their toll. Students of the period feel almostcheated as these larger than life figures quietly fadeaway. Thousands of Irishmen from North and Southvolunteered to serve in the Allied forces; my family wasone of the many that produced citizen soldiers from bothsides of the border. A lot of ordinary people becamehousehold names after the war through recorded heroicdeeds, memoirs, speaking at functions, or being thrustinto the public realm via the many film productionsabout those days. The fiftieth anniversary in 1994attracted huge TV coverage informed a generation thatpreviously had but a vague idea of D-Day with aninsight into the invasion and the men who hadparticipated in it. Hollywood and the movie industrypresented many versions of the Normandy invasion,most of which appear to have concentrated on thecellulose exploits of famous actors rather than the actualhard facts. Stephen Spielberg broke that mould with hisportrayal of US paratrooper Fritz Niland’s story when heproduced “Saving Private Ryan” in the late 1990s. Hepresented a version of D-Day that was close enough tothe real thing to upset veterans and shock cinemaaudiences.

For the record, Fritz Niland was a trooper in the US101 Airborne who parachuted into France early on 6thJune 1944. Within a matter of days he was located by aChaplin who had orders to bring him back to a rearheadquarters where he was told that his three brothershad been killed and he was being withdrawn fromcombat on explicit orders from Washington. Two or threesentences in the late Dr. Stephen E. Ambrose’s book“Band of Brothers” described that event and those few

words inspired Spielberg to make the Private Ryanmovie. Filming took place in both Ireland and England,with the D-Day sea-landing sequences being shot on ourlocal beach at Curracloe, Co. Wexford. I was fortunate tomeet both Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks whenvisiting the set during filming. At that time it was notcommon knowledge that the inspiration for the moviecame from the Niland story and I recall asking bothgentlemen what they proposed doing afterwards withall the hardware strewn around the sand. Thiscomprised much of the impedimenta of a seaborneinvasion including a number of Sherman tanks that didnot feature in the completed film. Hanks smiled as hesaid that they had definite plans for the future. Severalyears later these plans came to fruition in the form of ablockbuster mini TV series ‘Band of Brothers.’ In a veryshort space of time the world became familiar with theexploits of E Company, 506th parachute infantry of the101st airborne division of the US Army. This series onceagain highlighted the sacrifices and horrors experiencedby people of many nationalities that fought World War 2and while it concentrated on one specific AmericanArmy unit, it brought home to millions what had beenendured by an entire generation in order to buy thepeace that we enjoy in Europe today.

I recognised him instantlyThe men portrayed in the series became household

names world-wide and I don’t mind admitting that Iwatched the story of those ordinary people - spellbound.The series came to life for me one afternoon in 2008 as Iwas checking into a hotel in Bayeux in Normandy. Atouring coach had stopped outside and I saw a sign on


A tank-busting RAF Typhoon aircraft in the Memorial Centre, Caen.

the windscreen that read ‘Easy Co.’ The mansitting next to the driver was in WW2 uniformand I recognised him instantly from theveteran’s interviews conducted at the end of themini-series. It was Edward ‘Babe’ Heffron,accompanying a group from the US that wastouring European battlefields. They stayed fortwo nights in the hotel and Babe spent bothevenings deep in conversation with me, whichdidn’t impress the people on the tour too much.He related several stories about the exploits ofEasy Company in Europe and some specific tothe Battle of the Bulge in the Belgian Ardennesduring December 1944. He also answeredquestions about the deaths of two Easy troopers(one was Irish) in the Foy area that hadpreviously caught my attention. At the time Iwas actually attempting to unearth informationabout Frankie Mellet who was shot in a fieldoutside Foy. Babe, whose parents were Irish,supplied the answers, insisting that theinformation should remain confidential untilafter his own death. Frankie Mellet’s familyoriginally hailed from County Meath. Babe doesnot travel these days, he’s in his late 80s and hisdaughter Tricia kindly keeps me up to date by e-mail on how he is keeping. Fans of the miniseries might like to know that Heffron actuallyplayed a cameo role in the production. As the Ecompany men enter Eindhoven during OperationMarket Garden in Sept 1944, the camera swings over tohighlight an old man sipping coffee outside a café as hewatches the American soldiers pass by. Babe Heffronplays the old man!

Back in 1989 the late Major John Howard, the manwho led the first action of D-Day in a glider landing atthe now famous Pegasus Bridge over the Orne canaloutside Caen turned up one May afternoon at the sceneof his 1944 action. Colleagues and I were in the nearbyGondre Café when someone said that Major Howardhad arrived and was on the bridge. He was a regularvisitor to the area and this particular trip had beenarranged by a French publication whose accompanyingfemale photographer was less than amused when heopted to spend time with us. During this time a numberof old soldiers turned up, many of whom in 1944 hadmarched from the beaches to this very bridge to relievethe Major and his men on June 6th and all were anxiousto shake hands with him, renewing old acquaintances.Irish-born film actor Richard Todd (a Captain)parachuted into Normandy on the morning of June 6thand linked up with Major Howard at the PegasusBridge. Their combined forces beat off a number ofGerman counterattacks later that day. Todd went on to

play the part of Howard in Darryl F. Zanuck’s 1962movie The Longest Day which was based on a book ofthe same title by Irish author Cornelius Ryan. TheGondre family’s café was the first French home to beliberated on D-Day and is definitely worth a visit. Asidefrom the memorabilia on display, hardly a day passeswithout someone interesting turning up. The PegasusBridge of 1944 has been replaced and the original hasbeen re-erected outside a new museum just a few metresaway. Intending visitors should be aware that theft fromcars in the nearby car park is rampant. All five landingbeaches – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword – areeasy to access and contain countless pieces ofmemorabilia from the those far-off days. Almost everyvillage and town in Normandy boasts a D-Day museumand the ones that are a “must see” are in Ste. Mere Eglise,Bayeux, Arromanches and the Memorial Centre in Caen.

Despite current unrest around the world, it’s asobering thought that so many young men of a previousgeneration were required to make the ultimate sacrificeso that we can live in relative peace and comfort. Weshould never forget that! With the 70th anniversary of D-Day on the horizon, hotel accommodation, guest housesand coaches are being booked even now. Anyoneplanning to visit Normandy in June 2014 shouldconsider securing their accommodation well in advance.


The author with the late Major John Howard on Pegasus Bridge in1989. (photograph G.M. Murphy).

We reported in the last edition of theforthcoming sale by Holt’s, Auctioneers

of Fine Modern & Antique Guns, of a gunonce owned by Lt.-Gen. Sir Adrian PaulGhislain Carton de Wiart, V.C., K.B.E., C.B.,C.M.G., D.S.O. Well, at the auction the smallbores section opened with the Purdey 20 boresidelock ejector which had been built for thisremarkable man. It was described thus: the 20-bore self opening sidelock ejector, serial no.25956, 27in. nitro reproved chopperlumpbarrels, narrow raised rib engraved ‘J.PURDEY & SONS. AUDLEY HOUSE. SOUTHAUDLEY STREET. LONDON. ENGLAND., 23/4in. chambers, bored approx.1/2 and 3/4choke, treble-grip action with hidden thirdbite, side-clips, removable striker discs,manual safety with gold-inlaid ‘SAFE’ detail,cocking-indicators, articulated front trigger.But before telling you of the final result atauction, here is what was written by RolandElworthy of De Wiart.

“As our language evolves or is changed, it seems wehave a good number of words which are either over ormisused. One of those words must surely be ‘hero’. MostOxford English Dictionaries define the word as “Aperson, typically a man, who is admired for theircourage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.”The man who commissioned Lot 1500 in this sale,however, is thoroughly deserving of the accolade. Lt.-Gen. Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart, V.C.,K.B.E., C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. was possessed of all thequalities required by that noun and, as we shall read,was the stuff of legend. His exploits and injuries werelegion, and his career in the British Army must surely beone of the most illustrious it has known.

“Carton de Wiart was born into the Belgian aristocracyon 5th May 1880, the eldest son of L.C.G. Carton de Wiartand Ernestine Wenzig who, although her name suggestsotherwise, was of Irish descent. He lost his mother agedsix, and soon after his father moved the family to Cairowhere he enjoyed useful connections in governmentcircles. Here his young son learned to speak Arabicbefore being sent by his new English stepmother in 1891to The Oratory School; a Catholic public school inOxfordshire. Following this he went up to Balliol Collegeto read law. However, his determination and mettle cameto the surface after only one term when he left Oxford in1899 and enrolled in the British Army to fight the Boersusing a false name, and without the prior knowledge ofhis father. It wasn’t long before “Trooper Carton” sawaction and he was invalided home after being shot in thegroin and stomach. His actions could no longer behidden from his father who, reportedly, was furious athim ‘dropping out’ of university, but agreed that heshould stay in the army.

“After a period of convalescence he returned to SouthAfrica in 1901 having gained a commission in the SecondImperial Light Horse, and later the same year received aregular commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4thDragoon Guards. His qualities were quickly recognisedand by 1904 he had been promoted to supernumerarylieutenant and appointed A.D.C. to Sir Henry Hildyard,the Commander-in-Chief. In his memoirs he describesthis period leading up to the Great War as his “heyday”and his relatively ‘light’ duties as A.D.C. enabled him toindulge his love of sport and hunting.War looms

“While Europe girded its loins for war, de Wiart wassent to fight the ‘Whirling’ Dervishes in the Somaliland


LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR ADRIAN CARTONDE WIART VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO - THE MOST

DECORATED WAR HERO OF OUR TIME

Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart.

Campaign, having been seconded to the Camel Corps. Itwas here in 1914, during an attack against the fort atShimber Berris, that de Wiart was shot twice; losing aneye and part of an ear. For his actions he was awardedthe D.S.O. in May the following year. In February 1915he went by steamer to France to re-join his regiment onthe Western Front where he fought with great vim;providing the perfect example of an officer who wouldnever demand that his men should do something he wasnot prepared to do himself. This was aptly demonstratedduring an attack on German positions at La Boiselle on2nd and 3rd July 1916, when de Wiart’s quick thinkingand bravery saw-off the need to retreat. His valour wassuch that he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the citationreading: ‘For most conspicuous bravery, coolness anddetermination during severe operations of a prolongednature. It was owing in a great measure to his dauntlesscourage and inspiring example that a serious reversewas averted. He displayed the utmost energy andcourage in forcing our attack home. After three otherBattalion Commanders had become casualties, hecontrolled their commands, and ensured that the groundwon was maintained at all costs. He frequently exposedhimself in the organisation of positions and of supplies,passing unflinchingly through fire barrage of the mostintense nature. His gallantry was inspiring to all.’

“All this from a man who was no stranger to injury;Carton de Wiart was shot seven times and lost his lefthand during the Great War but returned from hospitaleach time to lead his men with renewed vigour. He hadbeen promoted steadily during his time in France andended the war with the temporary rank of Brigadier-General. His inter-war years were spent mostly inPoland where he inherited command of the British-Polish Military Mission from General Botha. Poland wasfighting, in turn, the Bolsheviks, Ukrainians, Lithuaniansand the Czechs and was sorely in need of help. The thenPrime Minister, Lloyd George, was not overlysympathetic to their plight and he and de Wiart had adifficult relationship. The latter’s tales of derring-dowere numerous during his time there and includedhaving his train being machine-gunned by Ukrainiantroops, acting as a second in a duel involving Baron CarlGustaf Emil Mannerheim; later President of Finland, andhaving his position compromised during a gun-runningoperation from Budapest using stolen Wagon- Lits(sleepers). Perhaps most notably, and soon after he hadbeen appointed A.D.C. to The King with the rank ofbrevet colonel, he was acting as an official observer inAugust 1920 when the Red Army was threatening toengulf Warsaw. His train was attacked by Russiancavalry and he fought them off from a carriage running-board with his revolver, at one stage falling on to thetrack only to pick himself up and re-board.

Legacy of injuries“The year is now 1939 and as Polish resistance

crumbled against the German onslaught, de Wiart tookthe decision to evacuate his mission together with thePolish government and make for the Romanian border,where that country’s leader was an allied supporter. Thecar convoy was strafed by the Luftwaffe and de Wiartfled Romania under a false passport on the same daythat the Prime Minister, Armand Calinescu wasassassinated. He was soon re-called to the army andinitially saw action during the early Norwegiancampaign when he was tasked with safeguarding thecity of Tronheim with the help of the Royal Navy. Themission was not a success and he and the whole forcewere evacuated to Scapa Flow on 5th May 1940, deWiart’s 60th birthday. After a brief period in NorthernIreland spent bringing the 61st Division up to fullstrength and ability he was sent (by now as an actingmajor-general) to Belgrade for talks with the Yugoslavgovernment who were in imminent threat of invasion.However, during the journey his Vickers Wellington lostboth engines and was forced to ditch a mile off theItalian controlled coast of Libya. In spite of the legacy ofnumerous injuries, he swam ashore in the company ofthe surviving crew but all were captured and sent toItalian P.O.W. camps.

“De Wiart was sent to the camp at Castello diVincigliata where he formed friendships with a numberof senior British officers who had fallen victim toRommel’s early successes in North Africa. He madeseveral escape attempts with his comrades and onceevaded capture for eight days disguised as an Italianpeasant. The scenario is quite remarkable; he had onehand, a patch over an eye, numerous scars and injuries,and spoke not a word of Italian. Not particularly true-to-type of the genre. He didn’t spend long back in the campthough. He was taken to Rome in August 1943 for talkswith the government who wanted to surrender andthrow their lot in with the allies, and they wanted deWiart to contact Westminster. The talks were arrangedand took place in Lisbon under great secrecy. Carton deWiart was told he must wear civilian clothes butannounced that he would only wear properly madegentleman’s clothing and not some “bloody gigolo suit.”In his memoirs he describes the resulting suit as the besthe’d worn in his life! Once in Lisbon he was released andmade his way home to England (he had long been anaturalised British subject), arriving on 28th August1943.

“De Wiart was not a man given to inactivity. This wasjust as well; within a month of his return he wassummoned by Churchill and informed that he was beingposted to China as his personal representative. He waspromoted to acting lieutenant-general and flew out via


India on 18th October. He stopped en-route to attend theCairo Conference before spending some while in Indiawhere he became close with Sir Claude Auchinleck andthe wonderfully eccentric Orde Wingate, creator of the‘Chindits’. He arrived at China’s wartime capital,Chongqing, in early December and for the next threeyears was involved in senior diplomatic and reportingduties. He formed a good relationship with China’snationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek, and once his job inthe Far East was done he was offered a position byChiang. This he declined, but did return to China duringthe final months of the Pacific war and was then asked tostay on by Clement Attlee, who had come to power inthe 1945 General Election.

“Carton de Wiart formerly retired in October 1947holding the honorary rank of lieutenant-general. Threeyears later at the age of seventy-one he married for thesecond time (his first wife died in 1951) and settled in

County Cork. He was now free to return to his love ofsport and was soon amongst the snipe and salmon in thesurrounding countryside. By his standards he led arelaxed life in Ireland and died, aged eighty-three, on 5thJune 1963. He is buried in Caum Churchyard whichbacks on to his old house in Killinardish.

Adrian Carton de Wiart was unquestionably a greatman and deserves to be remembered as such. Always amilitary man at heart, he wrote in his memoirs,“Governments may think and say as they like, but forcecannot be eliminated, and it is the only real andunanswerable power. We are told that the pen ismightier than the sword, but I know which of theseweapons I would choose.”

PostscriptThe gun sold at Holt’s auction and was secured for the

nation by The Royal Armouries. A fitting result indeed.


The 20-bore self opening sidelock ejector,by Purdey serial no. 25956.

BrackenHillPheasantries

Cranford, Letterkenny,Donegal, Ireland

Tel: 00 353 749163011www.brackenhillpheasantries.ie

We provide:Healthy well feathered stock

prized for its holding and flying ability.

Guaranteed to be disease and infection free

on delivery

Raised to be hardy and well suited to our weather conditions

Pheasant – Mallard – Red Leg PartridgesFREE DELIVERY

Bracken Hill ShootBookings being taken for quality driven pheasant,

duck and partridge shooting

Find us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/brackenhillpheasantries.shoot

‘Is she really mine, Dad?’ Edward had justturned fifteen and his gift was a twelve

week old Labrador bitch. Edward’s DadHarvey was a regular beater on the localestate for over two decades. During thesummer months, Harvey helped the estatekeeper Jonathan with pheasant and mallardrearing. As a city of London investmentbroker, Harvey welcomed the diversion fromhis business lifestyle. He made it abundantlyclear to Jonathan though that he expectednothing in return for his voluntary labours.However, despite Harvey’s protestations,Jonathan typically offered him three end ofseason walked up days.

Two summers previously, Harvey had spotted signsof mink in the main release pond. Since three hundredmallard were due to be put into this pond at theweekend, Harvey immediately phoned Jonathan.“Totally impossible, Harvey,” an incredulous Jonathanreplied. ‘I’ve been putting ducks into that pond for overtwenty-five years and I have never encountered a singlemink there. I fear that you are mistaken.’ Harvey gentlyreminded his friend that he was the son of a Dorsetgamekeeper.

Jonathan eventually relented and arrived at the pondtwenty minutes later with mink traps in hand. The signswere indisputable and the traps were immediately set. A

huge dog mink was discovered by Jonathan and Harveythe following evening. Both men were acutely aware ofthe havoc this single mink could have wreaked. “I oweyou one,” muttered Jonathan. Harvey assumed that anextra walked up day would be offered; no such offer wasever made. Jonathan had simply forgotten the promisehe had made, a perplexed Harvey surmised.

Two years later, Jonathan arrived at Harvey’s housefor their regular Friday evening brandy. Entering thekitchen, he was charged by a litter of seven eleven weekold and very noisy Labrador puppies. Their motherJudy now in her sixth season enjoyed a rare moment ofpeace. “If one of those little ones is only half as good astheir mother, you will have another treasure in yourkennels,” Jonathan uttered. Guns, beaters and all theestate staff agreed that Judy was a truly special dog;whether it was a diving mallard or a barely pricked cockpheasant, Judy invariably delivered the goods.

Jonathan could point to many special retrievingmoments. The evening Judy crossed two drains andswam almost one hundred and fifty yards to retrieve awinged drake teal shot by the estate owner Sir Henrystood out for starters. On the evening in question,Jonathan could do no more than give Judy the signal fora long go back retrieve. She was a strong swimmer andhe knew that as she plunged into the water her nosemight, just might pick up a scent. Listening to her crossthe first drain, Sir Henry wagered that the bird must


By Dr. Anthony O’ Halloran

Edward’s First Dog

Which one of theselovely Dropper puppies

would you choose?

have glided into the next field. Listening to her cross thesecond drain, Sir Henry fretted that the brave bitch hadtaken on too much. Jonathan advised him not to worryas the field after the second drain was dotted with tinydry spots which would give her a rest from the arduousswim.

“All we can do is wait, Sir Henry,” Jonathan sighed.Not a sound was heard for five minutes. But then a flockof curlew was disturbed at least one hundred yards infront of Sir Henry and Jonathan. Another long intervalfollowed. Then they could hear snipe taking to the nightsky near the first drain. A splash indicated Judy wascrossing the drain and three minutes later a nearexhausted Labrador arrived at Jonathan’s feet. A wingeddrake teal fell into Jonathan’s hand. Too tired to wait forthe ‘dead’ command, she lid down putting her head onJonathan’s wellingtons. Jonathan handed the drake tealto Sir Henry.

Strolling back to the jeep no further words wereexchanged. Sir Henry’s diary read as follows: Date:12/12/1999. Quarry Bagged: One teal (drake). Otherguns: Jonathan Cameron. Conditions: Flooding at lowerend of estate. Gentle breeze, cloudy but no moon.Comments: Jonathan and I feel strangely subdued thisevening. We witnessed Judy pull off the retrieve of alifetime.

“You have the pick of the litter, Harvey. I did mentionthat I owed you one.” Both men smiled. “Edward isfifteen next week. I notice that he has a special way withgundogs.” Harvey bent down and started playing withthe litter. Memories of his late father came flooding backas he sat on the kitchen floor. His trance was suddenlybroken by a sharp tug on his woollen cardigan. Adetermined puppy kept dragging and pulling. “Ah sheis definitely the one. Edward will adore her.”

Returning home, Harvey was in reflective mood. Hisfather had died just eight months previously. And aseach day went by he saw more and more of his father inhis only son. A recent sideways glance at Edwardworking on retrieves with their youngest Springerturned him inside out.

Harvey had also been presented with his first dog atage fifteen by his father, but three years later Harvey wasan LSE student. This was followed by a two year periodat both Oxford and Harvard. Ten years later he was a cityhighflier with a posh house in Buckinghamshire. Apartfrom professional success, Harvey had excelled in bothrugby and debating. Harvey had surfed on wave afterwave of success, but the trouble with waves, as Harveywas reminded by his wife Kate, is that you cannotcontrol them.

“Yes, she is really yours, Edward. You now have soleresponsibility for training this dog. Jonathan thinks youare ready and I agree with him.” “Thanks Dad, I will not

disappoint you!” an overwhelmed Edward replied. “Justdo your best and remember that your first task is to giveyour new charge a name.” The new arrival was namedSally after Edward’s best friend in school.

Harvey and Kate were somewhat concerned aboutEdward as he approached fifteen. Kate felt their son wascrumbling under the weight of being the son of highlysuccessful self-made father. Henceforth, Edward was tobe afforded some space. Sally’s arrival was the idealstarting point. Edward would be allowed make his ownmistakes and Harvey would help only when requested.

Edward had the distinct advantage that he was by nomeans starting from a blank slate. Harvey and Kate kepta kennel of six working Springers and two Irish Setterswere kept to satisfy Kate’s predilection for setting andpointing breeds. During the summer holidays, Edwardspent most of his time in Jonathan’s company and muchof this time was devoted to training Labradors. Therewas also an assortment of dog training books in thelibrary. In overall terms, Edward was very wellequipped for the task in hand. At least that is how itseemed.

In truth though, Edward was greatly lacking in self-confidence. The young man was terrified of failure. Themechanics of dog training could be followed by a novice,but Edward knew that there was more to dog trainingthan following steps from a training manual. Therelationship with his dog would be paramount.

Edward reckoned though getting Sally’s trust was theessential bedrock upon which his efforts would eithersucceed or collapse. Wisely, he allowed her be a pup. Heplayed with her, rather than trained her. And when shechewed slippers and socks admonishments were rare.He did draw the line though when Sally dug up an arrayof newly planted flowers in the front garden. The puppystage passed without major incident and Sally was evenbringing a tennis ball to hand from the bottom of thegarden path to the kitchen door.

As the months progressed, Edward was perplexed byhis father’s detached approach. Apart from anoccasional “How is the training going?” Harveyremained detached from the entire process. Harveynoticed that the bond between Jonathan and Edwardgrew daily. Concerned, he consulted Kate. She urgedpatience reminding him that both father and son were ona learning curve.

Edwards’s long term plan was that Sally would be inthe field proper for the Boxing Day driven shoot of thefollowing year. Wisely, though her initiation wouldbegin on a few of the quieter walked up days. But therewas a lot of work to be done before that point wasreached.

Training progressed through the various stages and itbecame a common site to see the young man rushing to


Jonathan’s lodge after school. As Edward celebrated hissixteen birthday, he could look back on a successful year.The year was not entirely without incident though. Fromchasing rabbits to running away with a young rook thatfell from her nest Edward experienced moments offrustration. Edward made mistakes too. Falling into thetrap of giving her too many retrieves, she began to playwith the dummy.

Nevertheless, Sally was ready to make the transitionfrom Dummies to dead game. The transition wasachieved with ease. As both, Edward and Sally matured,the relationship was solidified. But Edward resented thecomments he overheard on the estate.

Sally was constantly being compared to Judy. Thegeneral consensus was that Sally had excellent potentialbut would never be in the same league as her mother.On the other hand, Edward was being constantlycompared to his Dad. The gardener, for example, washeard saying that Edward was far too lenient with Sally.He added that Sally would lack the necessary disciplinefor the driven days. Edward wrote an ostensiblyfictitious essay in school about a boy and dog that wereboth fed up of being compared to their parents.

Sally’s first walked up day eventually arrived.Performing well, she even picked one runner. As the dayprogressed, Sally was being compared more and more toher illustrious mother. The straw that broke the camel’sback though was a foolish intervention by Harvey.“Great dog son, but not a patch on Judy.” To whichEdward replied “You are right Dad, but Sally is Sally.”With a stiff face, he added “Can you imagine what itmust be like for Sally to be constantly compared to hersuccessful mother? It must be very hard on her.”

A shiver went through Harvey’s entire body.Belatedly, very belatedly the penny had dropped. Twoweeks later, Edward asked his father for advice on howto get Sally sitting steadier during evening duck flights.The advice worked. Three weeks later Harvey was in thefield with his son for a blind retrieve training session.

Sally retrieved on the estate for another decade. Theguns considered her very reliable but accepted that shewould never possess her mother’s flair. Harvey receiveda life peerage. Edward became Jonathan’s under keeper.


Mink can cause havoc in release ponds like this one.

��

TEL: 066 9150615 or Mobile: 087 2077019 Email: [email protected]

www.maceoinltd.com

�� !��"##�� !�$�%&

��

� ��

��

��

!�� "��#��"$ % ��&�� '� ��(��

��)�*��

��!��'� ��(��#�)��#�*��(+��+��*!�$ �%��,# ��-��!�##.(

'�� (��+� ��#��

��,,��#��-�� #� � �� .��,�� #�' ��

��

. �� /0��#�1� �� )�� 2�� 34�5��

While there may have been some doubtsearlier in the year about anyone having

money for the acquisition of Irish art, thesedoubts were fairly and squarely nailed asuntrue at ADAMS Spring time Irish art salein Dublin. For a painting by Northern artistPaul Henry, ‘The Potato Diggers,’ fetched€400,000, which set an auction record for thisartist, the previous high price achieved was€300,000 in December 2007.

After the sale Auctioneer James O’Halloran, wellpleased, not only with the record breaking price for aHenry but also with the overall success of his sale, toldme: “Yes, the Paul Henry certainly drew out the money.There was interest from all over in it with no less thanfive parties chasing it from 100k and several that didn’teven get a chance to bid on it. It has gone to an Irishfamily living abroad who are thrilled to have acquired itagainst such stiff competition including a majorinternational gallery.

“The whole sale was a very successful with 80% soldand 1.4m euros hammer prices achieved. The demandfor high end examples of every artist is very comfortingas it appears there are a good number of bidders forvirtually all works that have the basics - quality, rarity,freshness to the market and good condition. There aremany more bidders coming from abroad but with anIrish interest or family connections and internet biddingis actively encouraging this. However, it is fair to say thatthe number of successful online bidders is still dwarfedby other bidders on the telephone and in the auctionroom.” He added: “As for Paul Henry’s ‘Potato Diggers’the quality and level of both international and Irishinterest in this iconic painting left us in no doubt that it

was going to do well. It was well shown and when webrought it to the AVA Gallery at Clandeboye Estateseveral patrons told us it would be a winner.” Havingviewed ‘The Potato Diggers’ at the AVA gallery, I mustadmit to having being impressed with Henry’s portrayalof an Irish couple engaged in a backbreaking butnecessary labour on an Achill Island holding. Thepainting was executed at the old post office in Keelwhere Henry lodged in 1910 and 19ll and is, without adoubt, one of his most accomplished works.

The second highest priced painting in ADAMS salewas another Henry, ‘Thatched cottages with lake,’ whichsold for €130,000 to be followed by Walter Osborne’s‘Breton farmyard’ which went at €100,000 and SeanKeating’s ‘I gave him a smoke’ which made €52,000.Another Paul Henry, ‘Mountain landscape with cottages,more his familiar style’ went at € 47,000, whileanother, ‘Connemara bog’ had no trouble hitting ahammer prices of €40,000. Richard Thomas Moynan’s‘Haymaking’ sold for €35,000, a fine Frank McKelvey oilon board, ‘Camlough fair’ made €30,000 and amongother top lots were Louis Le Brocquy, €30,000; and JackButler Yeats €26,000. While William Conor’s ‘TheBenediction’, a crayon may have appeared a tail ender at€6,000 for me it was one of the most emotive paintings ofthe sale. It portrayed with great strength a congregationof women at prayer once again illustrating how Conorthroughout his life had been completely absorbed withthe activities of the Belfast people whether at play or atprayer.

Earlier in May ADAMS also staged a successfulSunday Interiors Auction, during which a unique IrishCharles II ginger pot, Dublin 1680, the lid decorated withchinoiseries and exotic birds sold for €11,000 while an


By Michael Drake

Art and Antiques

Paul Henry’s ‘Potato Diggers’ (sold by Adams)

Frank McKelvey’s ‘The Clinching Bid Camlough Fair’ (sold by Adams)

exceptionally rare Irish James II trefid spoon with rattailbowl sold at €9,000 and a Johann Anton Eismann,portrait of a young man realised €6,500. Other lotsincluded a rare Irish Wm III dram cup, €6,000 euros;Heywood Hardy oil on panel, €5,600; Irish William IIIsmall silver circular bowl, €1701, 5,000; Wm Shayeroil, €4,500; Irish George III reading chair, €3,600; set ofeight George II silver dinner plates, €3,600; and a rarepair of Irish George II chamber chair candlesticks, 1740,€3,200.

May was a busy month for ADAMS who also stageda fine jewellery and watches sale towards the end of themonth. A diamond three stone ring made €38,000; adiamond single stone ring went at €26,000 and another

diamond single stone ring, the diamond approximately4.95 carat sold for € 25,000. A lady’s 18 carat gold anddiamond Tank Americaine by Cartier with18 carat goldbracelet sold for €8,000.

WHYTE’S SALEDublin based WHYTE’S held an exciting spring sale

too towards the end of May when a top price of €29,000was paid for a pair of 19th century equestrian paintingsby William Brocas (1794-1868) while William Conor’s‘Bringing in the turf’ went to an American buyer for€21,000. A London collector snapped up an early PaulHenry, a Connemara landscape, for €13,000 which mustbe a sound investment for the future in any person’smoney.

By all accounts the sale was considered a successfulone grossing 450,000 euros with 73% of the lots on offersold. Lots were said to have sold above estimate by 24%and within estimate by 51%. The ever important facilityof Internet bidding was said to account for 25% of bidsand for 20% of the lots sold. Bidders were not only fromIreland and the UK, but also from France, Netherlands,Switzerland, UAU, USA, Canada, Hong Kong andAustralia.

ROSS’S ARTUp north again, there was strong interest in Irish art

when Belfast based ROSS’s held their June sale. A JamesHumbert Craig oil, ‘Connemara’ sold for £5,500 whileanother oil by Hans Iten made £4,100 and a ColinWatson £2,500 with a similar price going to a JulianFriers oil, ‘Shelducks’. Another Craig oil, ‘Unloading thecatch’ sold at £2,100 while a Charles McAuley oil made£1,600. A George Campbell oil went for £1,500 whileanother McAuley realised a similar amount as did awork by Julian Friers.

Among other lots were Brian Ballard, £1,300; Markey


‘I gave him a smoke’ by Sean Keating (sold by Adams)

Colonel Westenra’s Freney’ and ‘A bay Hunter With Hounds’ by William Brocas (The pair sold at Whyte’s Important IrishArt auction)

Robinson, £1,200; ColinWatson, £1,200; ColinDavidson, £1,200;Letitia MarionHamilton, £1,100; NeilShawcross, £1,100;George Callaghan£1,050; BasilBlackshaw £1,050.

TAILPIECE One of the highlights

of the Irish art scenehad to be the GerardDillon, Art andFriendships, loanexhibition mountedby ADAMS. After asuccessful run inDublin it moved to theAVA GalleryClandeboye, one of themost picturesque areasof Ireland where it was much enjoyed. This was ADAMSfourth summer Loan Exhibition drawn exclusively fromprivate collections, north and south of the border. Theexhibition featured premier works by Dillon and almostthirty others including, Gretta Bowen, the Campbells,George and Arthur, Dan O’Neill, Father Jack Hanlon,Nano Reid, Markey Robinson and many others.

I was particularly pleased to see a fine work by thelate Leslie Zukor (1921-2004) featured in the exhibition.

Born in Belfast of East European parentage, his fatherwas Polish and his mother Lithuanian, Leslie firstexhibited with the Ulster group of artists in the l950s,including the Campbells, O’Neill, Dillon and JamesMcIntyre. While well accepted in an earlier age Leslie’sworks which reflect his Jewish background andrecurring Old Testament themes are now ripe for anappreciation by a younger generation of art lovers. His isa distinctive style, underscored by vibrant colour and

also features domesticstill life, Belfast’s‘gentlemen of thestreet’ and even jazzperformers.


‘Shelducks’ by JulianFriers’ (sold by ROSS’S)

James Humbert Craig’s ‘Connemara’ (sold by ROSS’S)

Angling in Ireland is one of the country’snatural sustainable resources that has

been undervalued in recent times. In the1970/80s, angling was seen as an essential partof the tourist package, providing valuablebusiness and income in areas of the countryattracting less ‘normal’ holiday traffic. ThenIreland had a world-wide reputation formuch of the fishing it offered.

Unfortunately, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw adecline in visiting overseas anglers, from 173,000 in 1999to 103,000 by 2006. It is believed this decline was drivenby a combination of factors. Changes in UK anglingtrends, increased competition from other anglingdestinations, new products/markets, foot and mouth,cheap easily available air travel and both real andperceived declines in Irish fish stocks were all outsidethe control of the state.

Anglers SurveysHistorically information is available on the value and

size of the angling tourism sector but of late there hasbeen a dearth of research regarding both domestic andoverseas recreational anglers. So to try to rebalance thisInland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) commissioned twosurveys.

The first has been completed the second is ongoing.The first study was the ‘Social-Economic Study ofRecreational Angling in Ireland,’ which was carried out

by Tourism Development International in 2012. The aimof the study included:

Estimating the volume of domestic, Northern Irelandand overseas anglers both in terms of overall volumeand volume by angling category (Game – Salmon /Trout / Sea Trout, Coarse, Pike, Sea angling, Bass);

2. Estimating the angling expenditure by category(domestic, Northern Ireland and overseas); and

3. Looking at anglers’ attitudes and participationpatterns

This information will allow those involved in thepromotion and marketing of angling in Ireland to knowour customers, to plan angling development and wherebest to direct our marketing spend into the future. Thesurvey would not have been possible without theparticipation of our domestic and visiting anglers andangling businesses and IFI sincerely thanks all thosewho took part.

OutcomesThe product of this research was a report, launched on

the 18th July 2013 (which can be downloaded fromwww.fisheriesireland.ie/AnglingStudy2013). From thestudy it can be estimated that:

€555 million was the total direct expenditure onrecreational angling in 2012;

€ 121 million was the direct expenditure on angling byout-of-state anglers;

€ 755 million was the overall impact of angling;


From Mark.H.V.Corps, Angling Advisor, Inland Fisheries Ireland

What’s the point?

Tourist angling expenditure wasabout € 280 million; and Angling isestimated to support approximately10,000 jobs in Ireland.

Launching the report, theMinister of State with responsibilityfor Natural Resources, Fergus

O’ Dowd T.D., welcomed thefindings revealing anangling/angling tourism dividendof €0.75 billion for the Irisheconomy every year. “The resultscontained in this report aresignificant,” he said. “Angling, as arecreational pursuit, is a majorcontributor to the fabric of Irish lifein all parts of the country, particularly in rural andperipheral areas. From the industry perspective, thestrategic development and marketing of our anglingproduct is essential and has been given new impetusconsidering what we now know about the visiting andspending patterns of anglers and what is important indrawing them here. It is equally clear to me thatmaintaining a strong focus on the protection andconservation of this vital resource into the future, isabsolutely key if we are to properly sustain and growthese benefits to anglers, angling businesses and theIrish economy.”

MethodologyThe study was carried out by putting in place three

primary surveys augmented by desk research analysis.These were a ‘Survey of Recreational Anglers,’ ‘aHousehold Survey’ and a ‘Survey of AnglingStakeholders.’ The ‘Survey of Recreational Anglers’consisted of a sample of 903 domestic, Northern Irelandand overseas recreational anglers. Running from Marchto November in 2012 it was designed to profile the trip,traveller characteristics, attitudes and opinions of

recreational anglers. The ‘Household Survey’ compriseda sample of 2,011 Irish adult’s representative of the Irishpopulation (aged 15 years+). This was to estimate theoverall number of anglers in the Republic of Ireland. Itproduced an estimate of the adult population who haveever fished and those who fished in the last 12 months.The proportion of the population claiming to have fishedin the last 12 months was 7% or 252,000 individuals. Thesample achieved for the Survey of Angling Stakeholders,at 102, was robust and representative of the 767 anglingenterprises in the country as identified by IFI.

So who is fishing? The research showed that up to 406,000 individual’s

participated in angling in 2012. Of these 252,000 wereIrish adults (62%). Northern Ireland accounted for 10%(41,000 visits) with 28% (113,000) from the overseasmarkets. The belief for some time has been that the ageprofile of anglers is getting older. This survey showedalmost half of the anglers (49%) to be in the 35-54 agecohort with 37% of anglers older. Domestic anglers whoparticipated in day trips took an average of 13.6 trips.22% of domestic anglers took part in overnight fishing

trips with a mean number of 5.25 trips.Overseas anglers made on average twoangling trips (1.97) to Ireland in the past 12months, with those from Europe averaging2.35 trips. Overseas anglers were shown tobe loyal, returning on an annual basis to thesame fishery. This pattern was evidentacross anglers from all overseas marketsand categories of anglers.

Anglers attitudesIn the ‘Survey of Recreational Anglers,’

participants were asked to rate aspects ofthe angling product on a five point scale.Using this, mean scores were drawn up.

Smiles all round - a lough caught Irish salmon.

A salmon from the West.


Outstanding scenery and friendliness/hospitality of theIrish people were the most appealing aspects of Irelandas a destination. The restful/relaxed ambience wasmentioned as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’ by 94% ofrespondents; quality of accommodation (82%) and thereputation of the angling product (82%) were also wellthought of. ‘Friendliness’ is an attribute particularlyappreciated by British and European anglers. 77% ofanglers considered the overall quality of the anglingproduct to be ‘very good’ or ‘good.’ Amongst those notsatisfied, a perceived general decline in fish stocks wascited as the main reason for dissatisfaction. Theimprovement in water quality was cited as the mostpositive development in angling in recent years followedby the abolition of drift nets. Over two-thirds (67%) ratedthe quality of angling information available as ‘good’and ‘very good.’ Over half (53%) rated fish stocks as‘good’ or ‘very good.’ Just under a third (31%) ratedbiosecurity as good or very good, (however 27% ofrespondents didn’t give a reply to this question). Theleast appealing aspects included costs associated withparticipating in angling (permits, tackle, bait, etc.),illegal fishing and bad weather, cost being a particularissue with British anglers. The bad weather andperception of the decline of certain fish stocks were citedas the least appealing aspects for Europeans (albeit aminority of 17% and 13% respectively). Notwithstandingthe fact that a majority of anglers express satisfactionwith the value for money of Irish angling, more than onein five (22%) were dissatisfied with the anglingexperience for this metric. Particular concerns relate tothe cost of food, drink and accommodation allied to thefact that Ireland is seen as an ‘expensive’ destination.This survey is has provided vital information as to the

state of angling in Ireland and how the product isviewed. To further drill down into angling trends andmoods (and expenditure patterns) a second survey isunderway.

‘The Socio–Economic Impacts of Angling Festivalsand Competitions on Local Communities in Ireland.’This study is being carried out as a joint project betweenthe Cairns School of Business & Economics, NUI Galwayand IFI. This will be completed and the report publishedby September 2014. Its aim is to estimate the value ofIrish angling events to the towns and rural communitieswho host them.

Every year Ireland plays host to dozens of largecompetitive angling events and literally hundreds ofsmaller club run competitions. Competitor numbersgenerally range from 30 - 100 individuals. Larger eventscan attract many more for example the ‘World Pairs’coarse angling event brought over 260 competitors tothe lakelands of Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and

Fermanagh in 2012 while the WorldCup trout competition on LoughMask, Co. Mayo, attracted over 570anglers in August 2013. The typicalduration of the more prestigiousfestivals is up to 5 days and earlyresults have shown that anglerstend to stay in the locality for aweek or more when competing,contributing considerably to thelocal economy. This study is basedaround a non-market valuation toolcalled the ‘Travel Cost Method’(TCM). It was devised in the U.S.A.in the 1940s to evaluate therecreational use of national parkswhere there was no admission feeand, hence, no method with whichto gauge a market price for theutility of visiting such parks. TCM


Fishing the Silver Strand.

A Mask 20 pounder photographed and released.

is a survey technique where aquestionnaire is prepared andadministered to a sample of visitors at asite to ascertain their place of residence,demographic information, frequency ofvisit and trip information such aslength, associated costs and so on. Fromthis data, visit costs can be calculatedand related to visit frequency so that ademand relationship may beestablished. This demand function canthen be used to estimate the recreationalvalue of a site or event.

How you can helpIf you participate in Irish angling

events and wish to help with this studythe questionnaire can be accessed through InlandFisheries Ireland’s Facebook and Twitter pages as well asthrough the websites of some of the larger anglingfederations (ITFFA, NCFFI, SAI , etc.). For furtherinformation or to request paper copies of thequestionnaire contact [email protected] orphone 018842635.

Commenting on the studies the CEO of IFI, Dr Ciaran

Byrne said: “IFI will now review the results of thesesurveys in conjunction with our stakeholders. Clearlyfish stocks and fish habitat must be conserved, protectedand developed. Angling businesses must be given everyopportunity to win business and secure and grow thejobs within the sector. IFI is committed to these goals andtogether with our stakeholders and the support ofGovernment, state agencies and a new anglingmarketing and development plan we will achieve them.”


The ‘World Cup’ held annually on Lough Mask.

Drumbanagher Estate ShootHIGH DRIVEN PHEASANT & DUCK

TAKING BOOKINGS

FOR

2013/2014 SEASON

SINGLE GUNS AVAILABLE

For further info Contact Brian 07977253124Or visit website:- www.drumbanaghershoot.co.uk

Suppliers of QualityWildfowling and Shooting

Accessories.We are a small decoying business based inNorthern Ireland. We specialise in quality

Wildfowling gear and stock a large range ofDecoys, Calls and Accessories from many leading

brands such as Flambeau Outdoors, MojoOutdoors, Zink Calls, Buck Gardner Calls and

many more.Visit our web site.

www.waterfowlireland.comIf you have any questions or queries, do not

hesitate to contact us by email at:[email protected].

You can also call us on +44 (0)7970514294

Find us on Facebook:Waterfowl Ireland

Hunting Shop.

BrocknaGame Farm &

HatcheryFor Sale

Adult Pheasants September - October

Pheasant - Poults & Day Olds

Mallard - Poults & Day Olds

Red Leg Partridge Poults

Collattin Shoot

Top Quality Driven Duck and Partridge

September – February

Excellent Driven Pheasant

November – February

ContactCiaran: 087 1241889

[email protected]

Fiach: 087 6394098

Secretary/PRO: NOEL CARR, Teelin Road, Carrick, Co. Donegal. Tel/Fax 074 9730300. email: [email protected]

NATURE TRIUMPHS AGAIN AS SALMON ANDSEATROUT RETURN AGAINST THE ODDS

Although somewhat in reduced numbers on certain rivers, weagain welcome our salmon and seatrout returning as they leap ourwaters into their spawning grounds. This sight is the stamp ofachievement that drives all our federation members into doingeverything possible to ensure as many impediments are clearedfor an easier path to and from our 200 natal salmon rivers on thisisland.

Andrew McDonnel’s l5lbs salmon on the Glen River in Donegal.Some fine day when the madness of our campaigning stops

and, if or when, hopefully we will still have some reasonablequality fishing left to enjoy, we will take stock of all that has beenachieved. Some may call this ‘resting on our laurels’ but it isimportant to take time out very soon to express our gratitude to allwho gave us the support to continue at times such as right now.Over this season, our National Executive Council embarked on anenormous workload, as event after event demanded such timeand professional commitment that is well beyond our voluntarystatus. But again all was undertaken as planned with some greathelp from out very valuable friends such as the Great Game Fairsof Ireland, National Association of Regional Game Councils andFACE Ireland.

The best news by far is that Minister Coveney has not yetannounced the granting of the license to BIM for the Galway Bayfish farm. Every day, more news emerges that confirms that the tenfish farm plan would be scientifically, economically and

environmentally foolish to grant the license. Our members havebeen lobbying extremely hard in partnership with Galway BayAgainst Salmon Cages and other groups and our ongoing researchproves that only onshore closed contained farms will succeed. Atpresent, the sealice levels in Mulroy and Loch Swilly areunderstood to be the highest ever due to a repeat epidemic ofAmoebic Gill Disease attacking the farmed fish. The hightemperature of the water triggers the disease and only massivesupplies of fresh water transported from Killybegs to Fanad(round trip of 240 kms) can treat the disease for a short while. Withsuch a high carbon footprint it is evident to all including theMinister that the figures no longer stack up for putting fish farmsin Irish bays.

In 2003 Scottish freshwater angling was valued at £117 million,to which game angling contributed £93 million, by GlasgowCaledonian University, in a project commissioned by the ScottishGovernment. FISSTA questioned the methodology and findings atthe time as it did not include some very relevant aspects, anddespite our intense lobbying of the then Minister John Browne TD,sadly it took until January 2012 for a new study to conducted tofind out that angling now makes a massive €750msustainable contribution to Ireland’s economy. This follows theannouncement from the Minister O’Dowd that the TourismDevelopment International study found the value of angling to theeconomy was €750m. and not the €150m. valuation that wasestimated by the state tourism bodies in recent years. Thankfully,the FISSTA proposal over four years ago to undertake this studywas finally taken up by IFI in January 2012 following our €300mestimated value was dismissed as ‘overestimated’ by the fishfarming industry. FISSTA attended the launch of thisgroundbreaking study on July 18th in Kildare Street wherenational radio and press quoted our welcome of the results thatfirmly establishes the important economic contribution of anglingto the Irish economy and the role it plays in supportingemployment across the country.

The most important North Atlantic Salmon ConservationOrganisation meeting in which the nineteen salmon countriesfrom around the Atlantic, was held in Drogheda in June. MinisterFergus O’Dowd TD home town is to be congratulated inproviding excellent facilities on the banks of the Boyne and whilethe organisation of event was well managed by all concerned, theoutcome was far from encouraging for the salmon. The postNASCO feedback from our clubs reflect the concern as to whatwill happen if the North Atlantic nets off Greenland and theFaroes are not bought out next season. We are keeping very closecontact with Chairman of North Atlantic Salmon Fund Orri


Vigfusson who keeps us informed of the developments andfrequently seeks help and advice regarding EU and Irish matters.

FISSTA AT BIRR GAME FAIR CONCLUDED OURBUSIEST SUMMER PROGRAMME EVER OFSUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNING ON BEHALF OFSALMON AND SEATROUT CONSERVATION

The Great Game Fairs of Ireland brand delivered on theirpromise once again with fantastic crowds at Birr and ShanesCastle Game Fairs. The weather was kind large crowds at bothfairs surely made it the most successful events that Albert andIrene’s team have organised to date. On the eve of the Birr GameFair, history was made when FISSTA and NARGC signed upcloser cooperation between the rod and gun sports for the firsttime. FISSTA were glad to welcome and answer all angling queriesand much was discussed regarding the ten mega salmon farmplan as we were the only stand displaying anti Galway Bay fishfarm banners which left nobody in doubt what the greatest threatto angling was at the fair. New contacts were established andfollow up at the Galway Fly Fair in November will be made toupdate all who sought more information on the campaign to date.

Our Treasurer Donal O’Doherty seated with Pat O Flaherty NECmember ajust before the hordes descended on the stand at Birr.

Local angler and former Chairman of the Camcor Anglers, FinbarSpain, meeting our Chairman Paul Lawton.

THE SIGNING OF A MEMORANDUM OFUNDERSTANDING AND CO-OPERATIONBETWEEN NARGC AND FISSTA WILL BENEFITOUR RESPECTIVE ROD AND GUN SPORTS -CHAIRMAN PAUL LAWTON

The signing of our memorandum of understanding andcooperation on the eve of this Birr Fair is the culmination of manyyears’ hard work and cooperation between FISSTA and NARGC.It made good sense to agree an understanding that sets out thebasis on which FISSTA and the NARGC will co-operate for thegood of our respective country sports with particular regard toadministration, conservation, promotion, lobbying, campaigningand planning in compliance with our respective constitutions. Itwill place our two organisations in the best possible position toapply our individual strengths for the common good. Down theyears we participated in many countryside events in which webuilt up a strong relationship as a force for good for our respectivesports. There are many challenges and threats common to both therod and gun in which we can face together for the benefit of ourmembers.

Both organisations share the conservation and habitatmanagement ethos and recognise sustainable angling andshooting as important and irreplaceable components in ireland’scountryside and very much part of the economic and social fabricof rural life. they are important sources of recreation for severalhundred thousand people, good for the rural economy and a vitalcomponent in conserving game, fish and the natural resourcesupon which they depend.

When we say in our memorandum that we see angling andshooting as a unique bridge between urban and ruralcommunities, we can stand over this statement as our clubs andvoluntary members foster and promote our sports to one and allwho wish to participate. everybody who appreciates and respectsnature are welcomed and are warmly introduced to our respectivesports in line with our constitutions. that is why the increasedcooperation offers greater opportunities for promoting greaterunderstanding of often-complex rural issues that unitescountryside lovers from all over this island and indeed the entireworld as our recent angling data proves.

(L/R) NARGC chairman Sean Doris with John McGuinness TD chairof the Public Accounts Committee who performed the launchalongside Paul Lawton.

From an angling point of view we are living proof that we donot have to depend entirely on inward investment for factories orcall centres to deliver the jobs to this country. Good sustainablejobs are already established and being maintained in ourcountryside and many more could be created if the anglingtourism product was better maintained and enhanced. Out of406,000 anglers who participated in the sport in 2012, 113,000 came


from overseas, 32% coming from UK, while mainland Europeaccounted for around 10% visitors that benefited Ireland’srecovering economy.

Sadly, instead of promotion, our Federation spends more timedefending our sport from government created threats such as theimposition of ten mega fish farms off our western coast which willwipe out our entire salmonid angling resource. Such lack of joinedup thinking does not take into consideration the impact on ourwild fish resources, and the task falls as always, for FISSTA tomobilise the lobby and fight back harder by the month. FISSTA’sfight back involves many options, but our greatest weapon of all,is the international lobby. We are founding members of NorthAtlantic Salmon Fund who assist us along with FACE to challengethe state mismanagement of our resource. Our government incompliance with the EU Habitats Directive is obliged to protect allEuropean salmon passing through our migratory channels alongour west coast. If the ten fish farm plan is approved our salmonhabitat will be confronted with increased sea lice unless they areland based. FISSTA, in vehemently opposing this application, isaccused of being a group of disgruntled anglers with a vestedinterest. But now we have a valuation on this vested interest andit is worth €750m and supports 10,000 jobs (source TDI study) tothe state. That is treble the value of our sea fisheries landingsincluding the subsidies with all of this €750m revenue being spentin the rural areas of Ireland where the angling takes placepredominantly where the new fish farms are planned. In contrastmost fish farms are owned by global fish farm companies thatsend their money home to the wide acclaim of the Oslo stockexchange, while Ireland is left with their environmental debris ofpollution and disease to clean up.

It is time for An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, to join up theindividual thinking of his Ministers by further developing allsalmon river economies like the Moy Valley angling model whichis the jewel in the crown of Irish angling. To protect our longestablished angling industry and sport he must jettison any idea ofthis ten fish farm plan now before we ruin any more of our wildsalmon habitat that underpins over 10,000 angling jobs.Thissustainable job industry is achieving this success with only 62 ofour 152 salmon rivers fully open. This is a time for leadership, andthere is no better investment in job creation than diverting all fishfarm investment allocations into another 10,000 jobs to fullyreopen those 90 salmon rivers now.

Our new cooperation with NARGC will teach us much moreabout each other and together our combined expertise will guideus on to new challenges already on our horizon. From the earlydays of our relationship, we were fortunate to have our formerChairman Edward Power on the NARGC board to assist andadvise both organisations and much was achieved during histerms of office and it is important to acknowledge his contributionthen and now to our success to date. While his mobility impedeshim somewhat from attending meetings such as these, I can assureall members of both NARGC and FISSTA that he supports andencouraged this initiative, as he still holds a strong and influentialhand on the tiller, much to the appreciation of our FISSTA NationalExecutive Council. The never ending job of promoting anddefending angling and game shooting is our major task that wecan now undertake with a more focused and united force that willmake politicians and government listen and act more urgentlythan ever before. We will move forward with renewed andconfident steps to succeed in overcoming the many obstacles withthe efficiency and professionalism for the benefit of both rod andgun sports in Ireland.

FAMILY FUN DAY The best ever Family Fun Day on the Glen River in Donegal

took place on June 22nd when Eargail Eisc Teo at Meenanearycelebrating their 51st year in business, entertained the families ofthe factory area. The staff put a lot of time and thought into.thegames and attractions in what was the one of the best freechildren’s treats of the summer. A wide range of safe playgroupgames such as Circus Bounce, Lazer Zone and Bungee Run alongwith a Duck race to raise funds for local good causes.

The competition forthe salmon of the seasonat that time was awardedto Michael Rabbitte fromDerry and the trophywas presented by AodhO’ Domhnaill CEO ofEargail Eisc Teo.

Every good fishing competition should have a hog to eat - Errigalfun day on the Glen River

The day commenced with a large group from both factory andangling club members cleaning up the river with the assistancefrom An t-Aisce who provided the gloves and plastic bags.

Excellent results from the clean up.Cumann Iascairi Shliabh a’ Liag would like to thank the staff

and board of directors for their help and cooperation in our task ofmanaging the river.

TIME TO DELIVER ANGLING PROSPERITY VIACONSERVATION

This column has always reminded that our governments northand south, in compliance with the EU Habitats Directive, are


The CEO of Errigal EISCTeo Aodh O Domhnaillpresents MichaelRabbite with the ErrigalTrophy for the largestfish of the season.

obliged to protect all European salmon passing through ourmigratory channels along our coast zone and particularly ourwest coast where all EU salmon smolts use as a channel to theNorth Atlantic. If the ten fish farm plan is approved our salmonhabitat will be confronted with increased sea lice unless they areland based. The recent media reports stating that Marine MinisterSimon Coveney is being urged to investigate the MarineInstitute’s scientific expertise in the wake of a new TorontoUniversity study suggests that game, set and match must beawarded to the wild Atlantic salmon for a clean marine in GalwayBay. The new paper demonstrates that the impact of sea lice onwild salmon causes a much higher loss (34%) of those returningto rivers in the west of Ireland, than the 1% loss suggestedpreviously in the Jackson paper. This hopefully will end thescientific ping pong being played out in academia, while ourvaluable wild salmon smolts become infested with sea lice anddie in vast numbers every season. The new study demolishes theJackson et al. that our Minister and the EU relied upon to supportopen pen salmon farming until now. This is good news for Irelandin that a complete withdrawal of the ten mega farm policy mustbe ordered if he is to protect the more productive angling sectorthat is already delivering the jobs and revenue in a mostsustainable way. To avoid further cost and tourism marketdamage, BIM must immediately announce their withdrawal oftheir ill thought out application for the world’s largest ever fishfarm in Galway Bay. There is already evidence that the MarineInstitute has cut loose from the Jackson et al. if they are to succeedin recovering their remit in “providing independent scientificadvice to the Minister.”

FISSTA, in vehemently opposing this application, is accusedof being a group of disgruntled anglers with a vested interest.But now, we have a valuation on this vested interest and it isworth €750m and supports 10,000 jobs (source TDI study) to thestate. That is treble the value of our sea fisheries landingsincluding the subsidies with all of this €750m revenue beingspent in the rural areas of Ireland where the angling takes placepredominantly where the new fish farms are planned. In contrastmost fish farms are owned by global fish farm companies thatsend their money home to the wide acclaim of the Oslo stockexchange, while Ireland is left with their environmental debris ofpollution and disease to clean up.

It is time for An Taoiseach to further develop all salmon rivereconomies like the Moy Valley angling model by jettisoning thisten fish farm plan now before we ruin any more of our wildsalmon habitat that underpins over 10,000 angling jobs. Thissustainable job industry is achieving such success with only 62 ofour 152 salmon rivers fully open. This is a time for leadership,and there is no better investment in job creation than diverting allfish farm investment and BIM budget allocation into another10,000 jobs to fully reopen those 90 salmon rivers now.

In a recent report in the Financial Times when they visitedInver Bay the most notable quote was as always: “We can’t go onfishing forever,” says Catherine McManus, technical manager atMarine Harvest, the Norwegian company that owns the Inverbay farm and has captured almost a third of the global salmonand trout farming market. “Farming offers the most sustainableway to feed a growing population while protecting wild stocks.”The word ‘sustainable’ is again used to justify a world foodproblem while polluting the very bay they farm. We can nolonger allow offshore farming to ruin our wild stocks. Like allagricultural farming, fish farming must comply with wastemanagement regulations or we face further disease andpollution.

WILD SALMON IN DANGER OF WIPEOUT AFTERNASCO FAILURE TO AGREE CONSERVATION PLAN

FISSTA are extremely disappointed that the North AtlanticSalmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) has been unable tostop factory sales of wild Atlantic salmon in Greenland and hasalso failed to put a limit on Greenland’s subsistence fishery. Thesalmon harvested in Greenland originate from rivers NorthAmerica and some from EU including Ireland.

FISSTA were honoured by Sue Scott, Chair of the NonGovernment Observer (NGO) Group and our internationalcolleagues as to be the NGO chosen to deliver their statement atthe opening session of the NASCO council held in Drogheda onthe 4th June which stated: “The future for Irish salmon appearsespecially bleak in the face of new policy that will allow unbridleddevelopment of offshore open pen salmon farms to increaseproduction from 14,000 to 150,000 tonnes in the salmon’smigratory channel off the west coast. The first mega farm isplanned for Galway Bay, a Mecca for domestic and internationaltourists. The NASCO NGO Group, on behalf of millions of peoplearound the North Atlantic who value their wild Atlantic salmon,urges the Irish Government to stop this destructive expansion ofopen net pens. The Irish Government must develop alternativeindustries and employment opportunities such as expansion intourism and fisheries, which depend on a pristine environmentand abundant wild fish populations. It’s time for government torethink its obsession with open net pen salmon aquaculture,which contributes to declining salmon populations, and displacesfishermen and tourists wherever it operates. The advice of theInternational Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is veryclear, there should be no harvest at Greenland where stocks fromNorth America and southern Europe feed. An essentiallyunlimited fishery at Greenland is totally against ICES advice. PaulLawton from the Lee Salmon Anglers in Cork and the Chairmanof FISSTA said: “We are facing wipeout from both sides of theNorth Atlantic now as Greenland refuses to tolerate any morelecturing from the EU and Norwegian parties who continue toallow sea lice to run out of control and permit over-harvesting ofsalmon on their own mixed-stock fisheries.” Canada is amongstthe other parties that currently harvest Atlantic salmon.

At the meeting, when Canada raised objections to Greenland’sfactory sales, the representative from Denmark reminded Canadathat its harvest was six times greater than Greenland’s. They alsoexpressed concern at the failure of Norway, Scotland and Irelandto protect their migrating smolts and criticized their plans to sitenew fish farm cages in the migratory corridor off the west ofIreland which would infest and prevent the eventual return of oursalmon. This was a sobering thought which the Irish governmentdelegation will take back to Minister Simon Coveney. FISSTA saysit’s easy to understand Greenland’s position, because in Canada,anglers and First Nations killed 135 tonnes of salmon last year,which is equivalent to 63,000 fish. The Greenlanders are unwillingto continue to bear the burden and sacrifice of conserving salmonwhile other countries like Canada, Norway and Ireland andScotland in respect of the EU allow the killing of several timesmore salmon than they do. Here was a golden opportunity for theNASCO meeting to deliver a strong message of conservation forour wild Atlantic salmon but failed. The United States tabled aproposal at the West Greenland Commission but it did not receiveunanimous agreement by the Commission as required by itsrules. NASCO’s inability to control the Greenland fishery isdisastrous for US salmon, where stocks are at their lowest levels inhistory and protected under the Endangered Species Act.


When Greenlanders begin fishing in August, a season thatgenerally lasts three months, there is now potential for anunlimited amount to be caught. The failure to agree means wecould be looking at double the catch of last year. This will bedevastating to endangered populations in North America, whichin most years comprise about 80% of the Greenland harvest and aterrible blow to all populations of wild Atlantic salmon in Canada,the US, and southern Europe, driving more populations towardsthreatened and endangered status.

At the NACO meeting the Greeenland representative believedthat the internal harvest will be controlled by market demandwithin Greenland. The North American Atlantic SalmonFederation and North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) of Icelandhave long historical relationship working directly with Greenlandand its fishermen outside of NASCO, to discuss the possibility ofanother private sector agreement that would result in moreconservation-oriented measures. ASF and NASF had a private-sector agreement with Greenland’s fishermen from 2002-2009which kept our salmon returning to Ireland and EU. Controllingthe Greenland fishery is fundamental to conserving and restoringwild Atlantic salmon runs in North America and southernEurope. FISSTA will continue to urge ASF and NASF to remaincommitted to doing everything reasonable and possible tonegotiate an agreement for this season that conserves salmon,while respecting Greenland’s international rights.

Clodagh Dodd from Co Sligo was awarded a prize by ArthurGreenwood for the best fly tier in her class.

FISSTA EU CAMPAIGN TO LABEL FARMEDSALMON SUCCEEDS AT LAST

At our FISSTA AGM of 2001, a motion was passed to seek thelabeling of farmed salmon on retail sale to avoid confusion withwild Atlantic salmon variety, including demersal and pelagicseafish. Throughout the past ten years we extended the campaignto inform many restaurants and food producers using farmedsalmon of the threat posed by sealice and pollution to our wildstocks. Some responded positively by withdrawing their farmedsalmon from their menus or product ranges while some continuedto ignore the implications which we pointed out, which was theirright. However, it did raise awareness of the problem and wecontinued to campaign on this issue to date with limited success.In one case, a 1,270 page Environment Impact Statement of lastOctober from BIM cited Slowofood as supportive of theirapplication, and we complained to the Slowfood members at thattime. Darina Allen of Slowfood assured our Federation that BIMunreservedly accepted suggested corrections to the EIS referenceand agreed to edit the EIS publication as soon as possible.Slowfood assured us they would follow up with the member inquestion Ms Birgitta Hedin-Curtin of Burren Smokehouse to getfurther clarification. Slowfood admit that the reference we referred

to was made by BIM without permission from BurrenSmokehouse (albeit current information that was on their website)and does not represent her views or the view of Slow FoodIreland. The sad fact remains that many food producers includingSlowfood members use farmed salmon as a base product tosmoke, bake without labelling it as farmed. Thankfully, our longlabelling campaign which we first started with European AnglersAlliance and more recently through FACE EU has borne fruit andwe are delighted that from December next all fish products mustcomply with the EU directive and be labeled more accurately if itis of the farmed variety. Our appreciation is extended to MinisterAlan Kelly from Tipperary who now serves as Minister of State forTransport but assisted us in our campaign during his years whenhe served as an MEP in Brussels when others with a commercialfisheries agenda ignored our requests for help in this matter.

FRIENDS DEPARTEDSince our last issue, we have lost some great friends to our

wild salmon in the sad passing of FISSTA NEC member FredCoffey from Fergus Anglers, Mick Mc Cole from Ardara andDonegal Game Anglers Federation and our beloved ROI EditorPhilip Lawton.

Fred Coffey RIPFred Coffey was a renowned angler from Ennis County Clare

and raised on his beloved Fergus River. He campaigned for theconservation of trout, salmon and seatrout through his club, theFergus Salmon Anglers for many years and was a servingmember of FISSTA’s National Executive Council at the time ofhis death on July 25th 2013.

His busy angling life was supported with a career as a civilservant in the Customs & Excise at Shannon Airport and suchwas his popularity throughout the entire country that therewere many walks of life represented in the very large crowd athis funeral. FISSTA were honoured to carry his coffin past hishome in Market Square to his final resting place where his oldFISSTA colleague and friend Richard Behal gave a fittinggraveside oration in which he quoted the words of famoussalmon consersvationalist George Haig Browne: “If the wildsalmon no longer returns to his own native river man will knowthat he has reached the final stage of his own disappearance.”Fred served us all for many years by guiding our federationthrough many obstacles and his experience and impatience withfailed authority ensured that progress would follow valuedadvice on many occasions.

Mick McCole RIPThe Angling and shooting community of Donegal lost a great

friend on the death of former Garda Sergeant Mick Mc Mick RIP.Mick was an enthusiastic member of the Ardara communityright until his death, chairing many local initiatives includingthe Parish Council and the Ardara Anling Association there inrecent years even as his health failed.

Glowing tributes were paid to Mick and condolencesextended to his wife Irene and his daughters Tanya and Michelleand his son Shane. Originally from Kilmacrennan, Mick wasfirst stationed in Co Kerry before his transfer back to his nativeDonegal and to Ardara where he retired in 1990. He served formany years on the board of Donegal Game Anglers Federationwho fought the downgrading of the local angling and damageto the environment. His frustration at the lack of progress invarious campaigns always drove the federation to adopt newideas and the angling community is the poorer for his passing.


On the 4th May 2013 I travelled fromDublin to Rome where I met two Italian

friends, before boarding our connectingflight to Argentina. It was my first visit toSouth America and, having heard numerousstories about the region, I was anxious toexperience it for myself. The Pampas arefertile South American lowlands coveringmore than 750,000km2 and it we were to huntin the province of Buenos Aires. The area ismostly grassland with some crops such asSoya and the ground is level and firmunderfoot making the walking easy,especially for those who may not beparticularly physically fit. The smallest estatewe were on was more than 2000h and theherds of cattle were 300plus and were 99%Aberdeen Angus. We visited a different areaevery day and never shot the same placetwice.

The 14 hour flight from Rome initially seemeddaunting, but I arrived remarkably fresh at BuenosAires’ Ministro Pistarini Airport. On arrival, we weremet by our guide Sergio and after a three hour drive wearrived at our hotel in the town of General Lamadrid. Itwas excellent with single rooms with large double beds,en suite etc. there was free wi-fi was available and thestaff were very friendly. In the town there some goodshops, restaurants and a market to browse around in thetown if time permits.

We shot for five days with two outings per day and

each session lasted between three to four hours. Pleaseremember that the shooting for pigeon and dove isalmost constant even though this region they are notpresent in such plague proportions as elsewhere but arestill regarded as pests. All game is totally wild with norearing and the areas are un-keepered. The game istreated with the utmost respect and after being collectedis given to the local people. It is reassuring to know thateven when large bags are shot, the population of birds issuch that the numbers are undiminished. All shootingtakes place from hides except for the Perdix which arewalked up over pointers and there are guides alwaysavailable to help in any way required.

Anyway, at the hotel, with no time for unpacking, weleft our suitcases in our rooms and after a quick bite toeat it was off to the doves to get our eye in. I must admitI found them difficult - very high and challenging asthey flighted into tall trees to roost with a stiff breeze ontheir tails and they were also smaller than I hadimagined. We’ll pull a veil over the results and not talkabout cartridge to kill ratio at this juncture.

That evening we dined on some exquisiteArgentinean cuisine and after a quick nightcap it was offto bed as we had a 4.15 am kick off in the morning for mypersonal favourite, ducks.

Under the cover of darkness, we donned chest wadersand were escorted by our guide to our hide in the reedswhere I was placed with my friend Tony. No lightpollution here, as we were treated to a fantastic displayof shooting stars, with one seeming to race across the skyevery few minutes!

By Michael McGlynn

Amazing ArgentinaArgentinian sunset


As the night sky started to give way to morning, thefirst ducks quickly appeared in front with paddles downheading straight for our decoys. Four shots rang outfollowed by three satisfying splashes. It was the start ofwhat proved to be the most exciting duck flight of mylife. Discretion prevents me from saying how manyducks we shot, suffice to say the flight lasted over threehours and we were treated to every shot imaginable. It ispossible to shoot 13 species of duck in this region and onthat morning we shot 7, including the beautifully namedCappuccino. The sheer number of ducks in Argentina is

mind boggling. Also the estancias, large rural estates,possess an unforgettable charm and the trip to and fromthe duck marsh is full of unique sites that reminded meof the more simple and laid back lives of yesteryear.Flight over, it was back to base for some more primeArgentinian beef and 40 winks.

Having shot well at the ducks I was full of confidencegoing to the pigeon that evening and thankfully I gave agood account of myself. Again it was roost shooting at itsbest with an endless supply of birds streaming in fromall directions.

Walked up Perdix - guide Roberto with ‘Ocho’ and ‘Bab’and Author in background.

A gaucho about to ride out to check the herd.

Tony and the Author - sunshine, Perdix and happy faces.


After a welcome lie in thenext morning until 7.30 am webreakfasted before heading tothe Perdix which were walkedup over English/Germanpointers. Again it was excitingstuff with excellent dogs andtesting targets. The hunting areaencompasses vast fieldsstretching for miles. One of mymost endearing memories of thetrip was a single gaucho withthree dogs rounding up andcorralling more than 400 cattlein less than 15 minutes, quite afeat!

As well as superb hunting,Argentina is a fantastic countryto visit with great scenery,friendly people and superb foodand wine. The weather was also great 25c or more byday and 12c or over at night, however I was told it wasunseasonably warm for late Autumn.

The rest of the week was a combination of duck,Perdix, doves and pigeons and while hares were also onthe menu, I chose not to shoot them. The quality andquantity of game is impressive and all hunting iscarried out in a sportsman like manner with the utmostrespect being shown for the quarry.

If you like good food, as I do, Argentina is the placeto be with steaks, salads, pasta and much more. Pleasenote that Argentina has the highest level of meatconsumption per capita in the entire world by far. Thelocal wine, which I am also partial to, is also veryagreeable indeed.

On the final day, after another brilliant duck flight,we had an Asado, a traditional Argentinian barbecue,

which was superb and therefore it was with a heavyheart - and a slightly sore head - that we boarded the carfor our return to the airport. I was sad to be leaving thiswonderful country and my many new found friends butI vowed that if I am ‘living and spared’ as they say,spared I will return next year.

Happy companions - Tony, the Author, Giovanni, Luca,Bruno and Mario kneeling.

‘Ocho’ rock steady on another Perdix.

If interested in any of the above please contactMichael McGlynn at:

[email protected]: 07747738787

SHOOTING FOR SALE

LOCAL AND OVERSEAS

SHOOTING PACKAGES


In Edward Fahy’s opinion the study is timely, persuasive -even compelling - and its analysis should prove influential.

When the first Programme for EconomicExpansion was published in 1958,

Ireland embarked on a new course. Primarysector industries, agriculture, forestry andfisheries would, over future decades, beindustrialised and their productivityenlarged. Employment would be displacedinto manufacturing and, in time, societywould trade goods and services rather thanremain entirely dependent on the land for thecreation of wealth.

The foundation of a modern tourist industry was partof the development strategy. Bord Failte’s first anglinginitiative coincided with the publication of the firsteconomic programme. Strongly associated with thetraditional rural economy, tourism would hover uneasilybetween the old and new Irelands in the years ahead.Maintaining the qualities and ambience of thecountryside and the environmental and natural qualitiesassociated with recreational angling, referred to in themost recent account of the industry as “bio-security,”proved challenging. The consequences of heavierindustrialisation and increasing personal wealth andmobility eroded the qualities on which Irish tourismdepended.

The property bubble which inflated in the wake of theCeltic Tiger and culminated in the banking collapse of2008 punctured the illusion of indefinite growth inprosperity. And the ensuing recession has persisted.Meanwhile, the world is changing at a faster pace thanhitherto. Resources are declining while population rises.It is time to review accepted economic developmentstrategies.

Documented backgroundA quarter of a century has elapsed since the first

economic evaluation of recreational angling waspublished. There have been many minor accounts ofaspects of this valuable source of national income (suchas the Bauer report in 2010 and the annual marketappraisals of tourist traffic by Bord Failte and itssuccessor) since, but an in-depth reappraisal was

overdue. Undertaken by Tourism DevelopmentInternational, on behalf of Inland Fisheries Ireland, thesuccinct and professional analysis was launched inDublin on 18 July.

The data assembled in the course of the work areimpressive and the conclusions are compelling. Amongits many strengths is the brief timeframe in which thefacts were assembled: between March and November2012, nine months devoted to covering all significantsectors of the industry. The window enables precisecomparison with other relevant aspects of the economy.Such comparisons are apposite: the marine fishresources on which recreational angling depend are alsoexploited by the commercial catching sector and,although they are renewable, they are also finite anddiminishing. Recreational anglers, of course, also fishfreshwaters, whose commercial fisheries have beenalmost extinguished (some commercial harvesting ofsalmon is still possible) but there is sufficientcompetition between the two sectors in marine andestuarine waters to justify examining their respectivewealth generation in greater detail.

The value of recreational fisheriesdwarfs commercial landings

In 2012, an estimated 406,000 recreational anglerspursued their interests in Ireland. They spent €555 mdirectly of which some €121 m was generated by out-of-state sportsmen. These sums were spent on goods andservices (among them the purchase of fishing tackle,travel and accommodation) to which indirectexpenditure added an additional sum incurred by thosesupplying services (such as boat hire) to anglers. Thetotal for all of these in 2012 was €755 m. Total out-of-state revenue (direct and indirect) earned from touristanglers is estimated at €280m. In 2012 the total first salevalue of commercial marine produce (fin and shell fishlanded, excluding processing), which is the moststraightforward measurement of wealth generated bythe industry, was €270m (source: Sea FisheriesProtection Authority) and some 2/5 of that figureconsisted of subsidy from Irish and Europeantaxpayers!

The value of any tourism product is dependent ontwo criteria: the first, the disposable income of the


From Edward Fahy

The socio-economic study of recreational angling in Ireland

by Tourism Development International

purchasing population, the second the attractive value ofthe item in question. From 2003 to 2007 there was anincrease in the annual influx of overseas visitors. In 2007some 7.7 m visited the Republic but, following thefinancial crash in 2008, numbers dwindled and in 2010only 6 m entered the state.

Numbers of visiting anglers reflected the trend. Overthe past decade the greatest number registered was173,000 in 1999; 136,000 made the journey in 2007 andthese had further reduced by 17% five years later. Everycategory of tourist is of value to the economy but anglersmay be worth more than many; they often visit in groupsof friends or family. They also display strong fidelity totheir interest and loyalty to particular fisheries,frequently visiting more than once a year.

Participants in Irish angling in 2012 were 62% fromthe Republic, 10% Northern Ireland and 28% fromoverseas (the actual number from overseas was 113,000).A quarter of a century before, 2.7% of overseas visitorswere recreational fishermen; in 2012 that percentagedeclined to 1.7%, a reduction which could, however beexplained in a number of ways, not necessarily areflection on the quality of the product.

Analysis in 2011, by Fáilte Ireland, indicated that some50% of overseas visitors came from the UK and 50% frommainland Europe. The customary checks on the qualityof the tourist experience yielded reassuring responses.Ireland is still a relaxed ambience proffering comfortableaccommodation for the holiday maker and the anglingproduct was considered, by the majority, to be of goodquality. The usual grumbles were aired of course: pricesare high, recent, pre-2013 summer weather put a damperon holiday-making. But there were other, moreintractable problems too.

The downsideThe TDI survey reiterated a finding which has

surfaced in a number of recent studies of angling: themarket consists largely of older enthusiasts; youngeranglers are a disappearing species. One explanation islack of a disposable income. Another, the perceivedpaucity of fish. A successful recreational fishery does nothave to provide fish for every angler but it must possessfish to catch if it is to be an effective lure to recruitjuvenile anglers! The quality of the product also assumesgreater significance when the availability ofdiscretionary spending declines, as has happened overthe past five years.

Some of the most attractive of our recreational specieshave moved off the recreational angler’s list of options.Salmon, sea-trout, bass are no longer as plentiful as theyonce were. Nor is a much longer list of marine specieswhich have been relentlessly pursued by commercialfishers over past sixty years.

Fig 1. Landings of marine produce (demersal, pelagic,shellfish and total) by Irish vessels, 1899 – 2012.

Fig 2. Values of seafood landings (demersal, pelagic,shellfish, deep water and total), standardised currencyadjusted for inflation, 1950 – 2012.

In Figs 1. and 2. I have set out the tonnage and values(adjusted for inflation) of the principal categories ofmarine animal produce landed by the industry. Peakvalues were achieved in 2001 and they have tumbledsince, the value of marine landings having halved by2012. These values are, currently, just above what theywere in 1973 when Ireland entered the E.E.C.

A perceived decline in the availability of fish wasexpressed as a cause of dissatisfaction. Indeed, it was adisincentive for visiting anglers from Europe. Greaterpolicing and enforcement, curtailing illegal fishing andeffective protection of fish stocks were all identified asnecessary. Possibly significant was the fact that bothNorway and Scotland, countries in which conservationof fish resources is taken seriously, emerged as majorcompetitors for overseas anglers with Ireland.

Recreational angling was divided into the customaryfive sectors for the purposes of analysis: salmonids,coarse fish, pike, bass and sea angling generally. Usefulinformation is available on all, although there will becritics who lament there is not enough to provide asufficiently comprehensive account of any. Anacquaintance of mine was curious to know how manybass were captured in 2012. An estimate might bearrived at but the data would have to be specificallysought. But, on this topical species, other relevant factsand figures were provided.

The TDI report stated that bass, along with salmonand sea-trout, were species on which anglers spent more


money than on any other category of fishing. Thepercentage of British anglers seeking bass (39%) wasgreater than for any other species. As a general rule, thelength of stay on an angling holiday increased with thedistance travelled from out of state and the averagesojourn by bass anglers (5.4 days) was greater than forother types of fishing.

A worthwhile marketRecreational angling is not to be lightly dismissed as a

source of national revenue. Although its appeal hasdiminished in recent years it is still potentially veryvaluable. Throughout Europe some 25 m people practisethe sport, on which they spend $ U.S.A. 25 billionannually, according to the European Anglers’Alliance.As many as 12-15% of the population of some nationsparticipate; in Ireland some 6.5% do, according to thesame source. The TDI study reported 7%, a figure inclose agreement.

Nowadays, employment is the holy grail of alleconomic endeavour. An up-to-date, comparativeanalysis is not available from the commercial sector butthe Cawley Report1 estimated that wild fisheries andaquaculture in 2004-5 supported 11,600 jobs of which3,600 were part time. The number had fallen by 22%from five years previously. It is very unlikely to haveexpanded since, in the context of declining landings. Thesame analysis specified that almost €600 m should beinvested in wild fisheries and aquaculture over thefollowing seven years; this would originate mainly, if notentirely, from Irish and European taxpayers! It should be

reiterated that the income of some €0.25 billion,generated by seafood landings in 2012, approximately2/5 had been invested by the taxpayer and that, as theplight of our wild fisheries worsens, they requireinjections of ever more cash to survive. Contrast thisdepressed scenario with the more optimistic situation ofrecreational angling. Every €1 m spent by touristsgenerates 36 jobs, so tourist expenditure of €280 m in2012 accounted for 10,000.

It might be possible to consider the two pursuits,recreational angling and commercial fishing, separately,were it not for the fact that they share and compete for acommon resource. And there is no doubt that the fate ofcertain marine fin fishes will be a significant factor in thefuture of tourist angling. Weighed dispassionately,policy should favour angling more strongly than it doesand the TDI report should contribute significantly to thedirection in which policy evolves. But life is not thatsimple and some say vested interests, particularly thosewhich operate the largest commercial vessels, have adisproportionate share of influence on the manner inwhich decisions are taken.

Edward Fahy is a journalist and consultant, workingon marine, particularly fisheries matters. His bookOverkill! the euphoric rush to industrialise Ireland’s seafisheries and its unravelling sequel was published earlierin 2013 and is available from Amazon.

1Cawley, N., J. Murrin and R. O’Bric (2006) Steering anew course: Strategy for a restructured, sustainable andprofitable Irish seafood industry 2007-2013. Pp 196.


Irish Fly Fair and International Angling Show2013 Galway Bay Hotel 9th & 10th November

From organiser StevieMunn comes news that

following the success of lastyear’s event which we, asexhibitors, can endorse ashaving a great atmosphere,this years show will feature“the largest host of flydressers and game anglingstands under one roof inIreland ever at an anglingshow. A host of the greatestfly tyers fly casters andangling celebrities from allover the globe will once againgather at the Galway BayHotel, in Salthill to

participate in the 4th Irish FlyFair and InternationalAngling show.”

“The tackle trade will be very wellrepresented at this year’s event withquality trade stands in the form oftackle, outdoor clothing, and flytying gear and many others,something for everyone! And wewould like to welcome back anglingcelebrities, Hywel Morgan, GlendaPowell, and Peter O’Reilly who willbe joined by fishing legend CharlesJardine demonstrating and advisingon all aspects of fly fishing! We alsohave tuition from qualified anglinginstructors APGAI who will give

free casting and fly tying lessonsduring the two day exhibition plustalks from experts in the anglingworld.”

Irish Countrysports and CountryLife magazine and the Great GameFairs of Ireland will have a stand topromote IRELAND’S MOST READHUNTING,SHOOTING & FISHINGmagazine and with some specialticket offers for the 2014 GREATGAME FAIRS of IRELAND. Do stopfor a chat!

For more details see web.www.irishflyfair.com or contactStevie Munn. Email, [email protected]

It is a matter of fact that there used to be a lot of waterturbines in Northern Ireland. In 1903, there were 90hydro sites on the River Maine catchment, all abstractingwater for power and some of them polluting thewatercourses with flax effluent. The same was true on allthe other tributaries flowing into Lough Neagh; thecreation of wealth in C19 and C20 Ireland dependedalmost entirely on water and the Textile Industry wasresponsible for putting bread on the table for 1000s offamilies. These installations used all the water theycould and they had no concern for continuous residualflows or fine screens or cumulative impact. Most siteswere in the middle and the upper reaches of the riverwhere there was more head but also where there werespawning grounds and nursery waters. Under thesecircumstances you might not expect to find any fish hereat all but as many people will tell you the fishing wasmuch better in the old days. However, the decline of thetextile industry after WW2 meant that by 1963 therewere 9 turbines in operation and by 1993 only two sitesusing water power survived on the River Maine.

During this same period, The Honourable The IrishSociety kept a continuous record of the number andweight of fish trapped at the Cutts on the Lower Bann. Itshows that after a long period of stability, numbersreached a peak in 1962 with nearly 35,000 salmon andgrilse being caught; but from 1970 on, somethingchanged and there was a steep decline in numbers untilthe fishery closed down finally in 1995. It is, therefore,impossible to attribute the decline in salmon numbers tohydro power when it itself had become almost extinctthrough the collapse of the textile industry.

Since the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation, there has been aresurgence in interest in hydro power and a number ofschemes were refurbished at this time; in 1994 thisproduced a violent reaction from some anglingorganisations, “Salmon Face Extinction” and “RiverPower will destroy fishing” and “25% of young fish willbe killed”, were some of the headlines in thenewspapers. The difficulty with statements like these isthat, if they don’t actually happen, they destroy thecredibility of the argument and of those that made suchpredictions. But it was evident that if more schemes wereredeveloped and they operated for a long period of time

without making salmon extinct or destroying fishing,anglers should be able to have confidence in the strengthof this evidence.

There are now some 90 water turbines in operation allof which have been subject to the Abstraction Licensingsystem and scrutiny by Department of Culture Arts andLeisure and Northern Ireland Environment Agency andother environmental consultees.

Earlier this year a written question was lodged by anMLA with the Stormont Assembly asking for details ofall instances over the last twenty years where waterturbines have been found to have been responsible forkilling fish, including the (i) location; (ii) date; (iii)estimated number of fish involved; and (iv) the actiontaken by her Department. In Written Answer AQW20777/11-15 - Water Turbines: Killing Fish – 3rd June2013 it said: “The Department has no record of anyincidents where water turbines have been responsiblefor killing fish over the last twenty years.”

A similar request to the Environment Agency inEngland and Wales confirmed that there had been onlythree instances since 1993, two involving eels and oneinvolving trout.

These are two similar conclusions based on evidencetaken over a long period during which some anglingorganisations have attempted to persuade Governmentof the damage that hydro power causes to fish; theseconclusions do not agree with the views expressed by MrMarsden.

But it is well known that salmon stocks have been indecline, not just in Northern Ireland and not just onrivers where there are hydro schemes. Despite this, thesummer of 2012 produced a lot of salmon in NorthernIreland rivers. The extent of this migration and some ofthe successes of anglers are documented on Saturdays inthe Newsletter with headlines like:

“Loughs Agency report that salmon numbers are thehighest for 10 years. On the River Mourne, fish werecoming in on every tide with 30 per hour ascending theweir at Sion Mills.” - 14th July 2012.

“For every fish landed there were many more lost.Fish are taking the Weir at Sion Mills with ease… Manysummer salmon in double figure were caught…RedLetter Days of catching fish - this great summer for


From Andrew Frazer

Hydro SchemesIn the Spring edition of this magazine William Marsden wrote about his concernsabout a small hydro scheme that had been rebuilt at Broughshane. Andrew Frazerwho is chairman of the Northern Ireland Branch of the British HydropowerAssociation and owns two hydro schemes on the River Maine has written in areply that lays out a set of facts and different conclusions to that of Mr Marsden.

anglers is expected to continue – 28th July 2102.“Fishing was fanstastic with one angler catching six

salmon in one hour and another catching 18” - 22ndSeptember 2012.”

This is welcome news to anglers and from the hydrooperator’s point of view, it can only substantiate theargument that the use of water by the 90 schemes nowoperating in Northern Ireland is having no effect onfisheries and that all the hard work protecting smolts,keeping screens clean and adhering to the requirementsof Fishery Legislation have been effective. On the otherhand, some of the reports - 25th August 2012 - havestarted to recognise the effect angling has on salmonstocks and how their activities should now to beregulated.

In December 2012 the Minister for DCAL introduced aseries of measures to protect salmon stocks:

• so that anglers may kill only one salmon in 2013• thereafter they may not be able to kill any salmon

until stocks improve • the policy of catch and release has been made

compulsory • in addition, she is concerned about the mortality in

salmon caused by catch and release and intends to introduce further restrictions on certain baits and fishing methods that anglers can use.

• and finally, to counter the opportunities for the increasing number of anglers to catch fish, she may restrict the length of the angling season.

It is unlikely that the Minister would be introducingthese regulations if anglers did not have an effect onsalmon numbers.

But the plight of thesalmon is morecomplicated than justhydro schemes or anglers.Just recently NorthAtlantic SalmonC o n s e r v a t i o nOrganisation haveconfirmed that marinesurvival is the major factoraffecting abundance ofsalmon populations andthis confirms the workcarried out at the SalmonResearch Station atBushmills where scientistshave been reporting a dropfrom 30% marine survivaldown to 6%. Smoltsshould grow rapidly whenthey get to sea because ofthe abundance of food butexamination of scale

samples now reveal that this growth is much slower thanbefore and that smolts at sea are being starved by thelack of food. This may explain why smolts from theRiver Bush, normally destined for the Norwegian Sea,have been found at distant Bear Island. In corroboration,the data kept by The Irish Society shows that the averagefish in the 1920s was 9lbs while the average in the 1980swas 6lbs.

The British Hydropower Association promotes gooddesign and good operational practise for hydro schemesand runs courses for new owners. Of course, Fisheryprotection and fish passage are of paramountimportance; the Fisheries Act requires protection forboth upstream and downstream migration andfacilitation of fish passage is also necessary as browntrout, eels and dollaghan migrate. Modern control andalarm systems allow water levels to be maintainedaccurately; scientific knowledge about salmon migrationand what water flow triggers migration may allowcomputer programmes to be used to maximise theopportunities for fish passage. The result should be thatfishery protection and fish passage is now better than atany time in the past and there is no reason why a hydroscheme should not be “100% fish friendly.”

Hydro operators are mindful of their obligation toprotect the environment and it is no less than the rolethat anglers have to play in ensuring salmon survive forfuture generations.

The full version of this article was given in a paper atEnergy Now Expo at Telford in February 2013 and is availableon the BHA Website www.british-hydro.org


Typical C18 weir in use today in Northern Irerland.

BUSHNELL PASSIVE INFRA RED SURVEILLANCECAMERA

LTL ACORN PASSIVE INFRA RED SURVEILLANCECAMERA - WITH GSM EMAILFUNCTION

MYCROCAM 720P HD ANDAIPTEK Z3 SPORTSCAMERAS PLUS A WIDERANGE OF SPY CAMERAS

BOLLE TACTICAL/SAFETYAND WELDING EYEWEAR AIPTEK PICOPROJECTORS AND IPHONE & ANDROIDAPPLICATIONS

The hotel boasts 39 ensuite roomsand all include amenities such as:Digital TV, Direct Dial Telephone,Hair Dryer, Tea/Coffee MakingFacilities, Free Wifi, Dry RoomFacilities, Secure Police ApprovedStorage for guns & LeisureFacilities. The hotel is surroundedby some of the most sought afterexclusive fishing to be hadanywhere, and our team can createunique packages to suit therequirements of each individualparty. With professional gillies/guides, years of experience and theever essential local knowledge wecreate the recipe for our promise. …“We Will Deliver”

Game Fishing / Course FishingThe Bushtown is situated on thebanks the river Bann, a river thatoffers anglers almost everythingfrom game species to the very bestin coarse fishing, The Bann haslong enjoyed one of the largestsalmon runs in the UK, with springfish regularly caught and weighingwell into the late teens (lbs) andbeyond. Also on offer is somesuperb brown trout fishing, on theBann or in some of the other riversthat attribute like the Moyola or theAgivey. This Magnificent riversystem offers it all…..

Shooting BreaksThe Hotel is on the doorstep to thelargest commercial shoot in Irelandand we can also offer deer stalking,woodcock (walked up or driven)and snipe (walked up or driven).The hotel owners (who are avidconservationists) have beensupporting and promoting field andcountry sports for years. Facilitiesat the Bushtown are constantlyupgraded to meet the ever growingrequirements of the travellingshooter, with facilities such as;secure police approved storage forguns, ammunition and a fantasticdry room.

283 Drumcroone Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT51 3QT

Tel +44(0)28 7035 8367 Fax +44(0)28 7032 0909 For All Enquiries email: [email protected]

The ideal location for the Travelling Sporting Enthusiast…

Once the fishing season begins in earnestthe time seems to fly and we march

through the weeks and months at an alarmingpace. We start with the Duckfly and Buzzers,on to the Olives and Terrestrials, Black Gnatsand Hawthorne flies, and then the queen ofthem all, the Mayfly. But once we reach thesummer solstice the season seems to come toan abrupt halt. The last falls of Spent Gnat aredwindling away and all the excitement oflong balmy nights, with Mayfly Spinnersmaking their way out from the woodedshores onto the open Lough and the noise oflarge trout slurping their way up the side of awind lane, focussed on the banquet laid onthe water to help their bodies recover fromthe stresses of spawning during the previouswinter and regaining pristine condition. Theexcitement of watching such troutapproaching and finally engulfing yourartificial becomes etched in the memory andit’s a sad time when the Mayfly draws to aclose for another season.

However, the end of the Mayfly is by no means theend of the fishing and for those who like to travel Westit’s really only the beginning of another chapter in theIrish fishing diary. While we are casting our mayflies onthe Corrib, Mask or Arrow, far out at sea things arestirring within the migratory fish population and theurge return to the natal rivers is stirring within oursalmon and seatrout as they feed hard on the oceansplentiful bounty and pile on the weight for the longjourney home. The irresistible urge to return becomesstronger as the weeks go by until, eventually, these

nomads of the tide begin to gather in the estuaries andbays near their native rivers and streams to awaitunsettled weather. Heavy rains and floods will be thesignal to rush upstream, back to their place of birth tocontinue the cycle of life. Their fantastic condition andphysique after months and possibly years of hardfeeding at sea allow them to leap obstacles and forgethrough strong currents and this great condition isbetrayed by the beautiful bright silver sheen of theirbodies.

The angler also awaits these rains, and the first floodafter a period of dry weather at the end of June or startof July will bring a wave of silver grilse and salmonsurging into the rivers in their hundreds or in largerrivers such as the Moy, in their thousands. When theword goes out that the fish are running, anglersconverge on towns like Ballina from all parts of thecountry to take advantage of the great sport on offer andthe guest houses, hotels, pubs and tackle shops get awelcome surge in business. Years ago, before therecession, I often wondered if there was anyone left inBelfast when the salmon run happened to coincide withthe twelfth fortnight as everyone seemed to be in Ballina!In those days huge hauls of salmon could be made byfishing the worm in the receding flood but now,thankfully, anglers are realising that such slaughter is nolonger sustainable and are investing in the future ofangling by being more responsible with the number offish taken. Sale of wild salmon is now illegal in Irelandand there is no place for greed in today’s anglingcommunity.

Conditions largely dictate the methodFor me one of the best things about the summer

salmon is the number of anglingmethods which may be employedin their capture. Depending on thecondition of the water and the typeof river we are fishing they may becaught on fly, spinner, worms orprawn and shrimp. Conditionslargely dictate the method: duringthe high, dirty water of a flood theworm reigns supreme; as the waterfines down and clarity improves thespinner will catch a lot of fish; andas the water drops closer to normallevel and becomes clear then it’stime for the fly. When the water islow and fish are hard to stir then the

From Michael Martin, Six Mile Water Trust

Summer’s Silver Ingots


Not all rivers have great fly waterbut good sport can be had byemploying other methods such asthe prawn, as here on the BoatPool of the Moy.

prawn and shrimp come into their own and providesport when nothing else would work. People often talkabout methods being unsporting but I think that it has tobe the angler who is responsible for unsportingbehaviour. Provided that strict bag limits are adhered tothen this should not be an issue.Methods such as fly and prawn,generally, are suitable for catch andrelease, especially prawn as the baitis rarely taken far into the mouthand the hook is easily removed.Unfortunately the worm is generallyswallowed and spinners such asflying C’s are often engulfed and thefish must be killed.

The type of river also has abearing on the method used andsome rivers, again the Moy as anexample, are not suitable in manyplaces for fly fishing so bait has to beemployed. It’s only my opinion but Ithink that reaches with good fly water should bereserved for that method; this is not snobbery its onlymy opinion but really good fly water is not oftenencountered and those who enjoy that method should be

given peace to enjoy it; I don’t know how many timesI’ve been quietly working my way down a pool on theFinn or the Mourne when some ignorant so and so stepsin front just as I get to the best water and chucks in aflying C inches from my fly! These ignorant louts destroyother peoples enjoyment in a sport that can provideenjoyment for everyone.

The summer salmon can provide great sport for theholidaying angler and no special tackle is required, justthe normal Lough fishing kit, possibly a sinking leaderand some salmon flies. Many rivers have run of fish andif there is wet weather the West Coast has a plethora ofsmall streams and rivers which can provide sport for thevisitor. Grilse can be frustrating as they can nudge &pluck at flies and its better not to strike but to continue theretrieve until everything goes tight, then wait for thefireworks as generally they fight energetically andfrequently take to the air. The time to strike is whenfishing the prawn as the salmon generally take it, cruncha few times and spit it out. Prawn fishing with a little float

can be a heart stopping business as the fish frequentlyplay with the bait before taking it and you will see thelittle float bobbing and moving but you can’t strike untilit actually gets pulled under then you’ve only got a splitsecond to set the hook before the prawn comes backminus head and legs which have been crunched off. I finda single hook presents the prawn well and is very easy toremove from the salmon’s mouth for a careful release.

So there we have it, another chapter in Ireland’s busyfishing diary and a very exciting time it can be thoughanglers won’t be popular for praying for rain while thewhole population wants the weather to be sunny! Thewater brings all the little streams and rivers to life as ouriconic game fish rush into the pools, surge through therapids and leap the falls. When storm clouds threatenthen it’s time to dust down the rods and the salmon flyboxes and get ready to go search of Summers’ SilverIngots, good luck!

Little shrimp flies with lots of mobility work well forsummer salmon in spate rivers.

Little tide fresh grilse can provide great sport on light tackle.

A late summersalmon about to go

back, two happyanglers!


Home, Field & StreamEnniskillen

One of Ireland’s Leading Department Stores

Please visit our new online store:

www.hfs-online.com18 - 20 Church Street,

Enniskillen,Co.Fermanagh

BT74 7EJ0044 (0) 2866 322114

[email protected]

These are some of the many brands we stock:

Receive 10% off your next order online www.hfs-online.com

Please enter discount code: 538da846on the payment checkout screen

dleeliFFi,emoHiEn

maetrreS&dllski

m

skiinEndaeLs’dnalerIf oenO

veiceeR 10% yoffffo-ofsh.wwwuscoidr etneseaePltnymeapehtno

nellskiserStot netmrapeDgnid

enilnor erdoxtenr uyomoc.eniln-o

:edcotnu 538da846nescretuckoecht

e

538da846

These are some

These are some

These are some ynamethf o

kctosewsdnarb

These are some

:k

Contact Us For Free Demonstration

Tel: 02893 382982Email: [email protected]

Northern Ireland’s Main Dealer

Laird Grass Machinery Ltd275a Middle Road, Islandmagee,

Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 3TGTel. 02893 382982 Fax. 02893 382983Web: www.lairdgrassmachinery.co.uk

Email: [email protected]


Wild Atlantic salmon are in decline in rivers across the north of Ireland. Atthe beginning of 2012 the Department of Culture Arts & Leisure (DCAL)

outlined ongoing steps to tackle this worrying problem. A voluntary catchand release policy for anglers, and a voluntary cessation of commercialnetting of salmon were agreed in 2012

Now, in the middle of 2013, as we move to the next stage of measures,it is important to begin by reiterating the situation. The threat to one of ouriconic species is very real, and may be terminal. That is why DCAL have awild Atlantic salmon strategy, which was approved by North AtlanticSalmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) six years ago and has beenrigorously implemented since. But the latest figures show numbers are stilllow. This is a complex issue that years of intensive research is still getting togrips with. It is not unique to the north of Ireland. There are numerous otherexamples of declining salmon stocks around the Atlantic. Internationally,investigations are ongoing, to better understand why and the issue hasbeen discussed at the recent NASCO Annual Conference, which tookplace in Drogheda in June 2013.

For some, salmon fishing is a leisure activity, for others it was part of theirlivelihood. While there are things DCAL can and must do to address thedecline in salmon stocks, there are many factors which are outside theDepartment’s control. A major problem is very low marine survival. It isperhaps easy to forget that salmon are essentially sea fish. Rising seatemperatures push feeding grounds north as ecosystems are drawn tocooler waters. This means the fish simply have to swim further to feed,therefore lowering their chances of survival to return to our rivers toospawn. There is an eagerness to tackle this issue and this has been seen inplaces from Northern Ireland rivers and waterways through to the Assemblychamber at Stormont. The Department has been encouraged by theenthusiastic support for conservation measures and the responsibleapproach being adopted by commercial netsmen and recreationalanglers across the board. The continuing momentum to conserve andprotect salmon is something that DCAL welcomes.

Same sideWe were all on the same side on this and together aim for the same

outcome, namely the survival and sustainability of our salmon stocks. Someanecdotal evidence from river banks during the 2012 season may givecause for optimism. But it is important to recognise this is set against thebackdrop of an ongoing, downward decline in overall salmon numbers.Measures such as catch and release and a cessation of commercial netfishing, which were introduced on a voluntary basis, should now bebacked up with legislation. As the Department moves towards this, it will beconsulting on proposals with key parties in the coming months to ensuretheir views are reflected moving forward to find an agreed approach toconserving salmon stocks.

Further steps, such as the recent ban on the selling of rod caught salmonand proposals to offer sea trout the same protection as salmon, willunderpin these measures.

The Department will continue to clamp down on all types of illegalfishing activities in partnership with other agencies. There have been manysuccesses in this area right across the North. These send out a messagethat poaching will not be tolerated in any form and DCAL will work tosupport the vast majority of fishermen who operate within the law.

Put simply, DCAL asks all anglers to continue practice catch and releaseon a voluntary basis when angling for salmon. It is anticipated thatlegislation will be in place for the 2014 fishing season that will make thismandatory and bring about a mandatory cessation of commercialsalmon netting. The ongoing momentum to conserve and protect salmonis welcoming and DCAL asks that anglers continue this for as long as isnecessary to achieve sustainability of stocks. DCAL realises the solution willnot be quick or easy and a positive outcome is not guaranteed. But ourcollective endeavour should continue and the best chance we have oftackling this problem is by acting together. We must all do what we canand hope that it is enough to save this species.

DCAL Salmon Conservation update – June 2013

With Over 60 Game & Coarse Waters Available starting from £9.00 for Three Days Fishing....

My third year at school was almost overwhen Dad and I took four days off to go

down south on a fishing holiday. After the sixhour car journey, we arrived at Shean Lodge,at Ballycroy near Bangor Erris. We werewelcomed by Michael, the famous gillie, andRobert his son, who were excited to see usback. After unpacking our bags, Dad and Iheaded out to try to catch a salmon. Thefishing conditions were hard, as the waterwas low and the wind was very strongcoming from the west making it hard to castour fly out a big distance. We fished harduntil ten but had no luck on that first evening.

The second day was much the same with hardconditions and again no luck. Then Dad had a good oneon and roared at me to come back and wind it in. Robertand I dropped our rods and sprinted up the riverbanktowards him with our big waders on. I could see his rodbent and the tip poking away and the big salmonjumping all over the place. When I got to about ten yardsfrom Dad he held the rod out to me and then, gently, thefly floated out and the salmon had escaped. Dad said notto worry but we had fished so hard for this one chanceand he said that there was a huge difference between oneand zero and I knew how hard we had tried to get onefish to bring home. Maybe it has just not going to happenfor us this year.

One of our fishing companions, Tim, was taking oneof our two rods the next day on the River Moy to fish thefamous Ridge Pool, so Dad and I agreed to go with himto fish the other one. After an early start waking up at4am so that we arrived at the River Moy at 5am, wefound the fishing conditions here were also very poor.This really was desperately bad luck, as low water on the

River Owenduff should have meant ideal conditions onthe Moy. Our friends had got the tide levels all wrong,and the tide was still coming in so the river was far toohigh to fish; also it was very muddy coloured. We talkedabout going home without even trying to fish this newplace. Then John, the gillie for the Ridge Pool, turned upon his motorbike. He said there was no point fishinguntil 10am when the tide would be going out andanyway there was nowhere to buy breakfast that openeduntil nine.

Our early start had been wasted; Dad and I sleptuncomfortably in the car until nine, but at least we bothmanaged to sleep. We then went to the big hotel lookingonto the Ridge Pool to get some breakfast. Afterwards,we took our rods and waders and went to thefisherman’s hut to get ready. Dad told the gillie that nomatter what or how, he should try his best to get me tocatch a salmon because I’d fished and tried so hard forthe previous two days. The big gillie smiled and agreedand said that he’d get me one for sure. Then I put on mynew chest waders for the very first time and, with mynew great friend, gillie John and I waded out through thefast flowing streams, over to the weir. The water was upto our thighs and the current was strong and some of therocks were slippery. I started to fly fish with a doublehanded rod for the first time but, after half an hour werealised neither us nor anyone else that day, would catchanything on the fly.

Gillie John changed our strategy and took out wormsas bait instead of the fly fishing. He put three big,wriggly worms called blackheads all on a hook at onceand used a lead weight as a sinker called a ‘bouncingBetty.’ I was sure he was kidding me. We both laughedand we started to fish again. I could cast out by myselfand felt I was getting loads of knocks on the rod from

something down in the depths. John said thatthe knocks were probably from eels and I alwaysfelt the worms swinging around in the fastcurrent. Wind in and cast out to the side againand again and I knew a salmon wouldeventually make the right connection with theworms and it would be mine.

With only 20 minutes left before two o’clockwhen we had to go, I got a sudden, vicious, hardtug on the rod and, without thinking, Iimmediately struck the rod up into the air. I wasinto a fish! It jumped into the air and I saw itwith my line coming out from its mouth. The rodnearly bent into two before line started zippingout. All I had to do now was to play it in.


From John Smyth

My First Salmon

14 year old author John Smyth at the Ridge Pool.

The gillie ran to get the net while I was playing thefish, I was holding the rod high in the air knowing thatif there was one mistake the fish would get off and Iwould not live up to Dad’s legacy. In the current itjumped lots of times and kept pulling line off the reel,but no matter what it tried to do it couldn’t get off. I wasvery surprised how quickly a salmon could spurt off andswim all over the place and for ages and ages it didn’twant to come in.

Eventually the salmon was about to come in - then itput on one last surge to get free. But I had remembered

everything that Dad had taught me. The salmon came inhead first, all over on its side and I could see its eyewatching me and with one smooth motion the fish wassafely netted. Big gillie John and my Dad both let out ahuge shout. All the fishing we had done for the pastthree days from ten in the morning until after eleven atnight had finally paid off. When everyone looked at it,Dad showed me that there were six wee sea lice near itsbelly.

Dad said it was so fresh that the sea lice still had theirtails, like tadpoles with tails. He said this was the verybest fish that you could catch because it was so fresh andwas like a bar of silver. I was very proud and happy andDad and all his friends were as well. We put a tag in thefish’s mouth and soon I will take it over to mygrandparents in Romania who love cooking and eatingfish from Ireland.


Happy fishermen - Stephen Smyth with son John.

John playing his first salmon on the River Moy.

Big gillie John races over with the net.

Safely netted and everyone is delighted.

The Smartwave AV3500 has impressive deck space lending itto many applications. This craft is well suited as a tender,fishing or duck shooting platform, for rescue work or as a tough

commercial boat. In short the AV3500 will excel in everyapplication. The AV3500 is designed for maximum space,stability and low planning speed.

The Smartwave AV3500

Specifications Standard AccessoriesLength 3.5m (11.5ft) Stern grab rails

External beam 1.7m (5.6ft) Anchor cleat & locker

Hull Weight 100kg (220lbs) Bow storage area

with padded seat

Horsepower 25Hp Rear seats

Deadrise 13deg Central bench seat

Hull thickness 8mm Bow seat

Warranty 5 years Fuel storage

Max No People 4 2 x fishing rod holders

Max Payload 340 Kg Diving platforms

Oar Storage Well

stockists of Smartwave and Mac Boats

throughout Ireland

RLS Boats

Contact: River Lake and Sea,

58 Coleraine Road, Portrush BT56 8HN

E: [email protected] www.riverlakesea.com

Tel: +44 (0) 77 25-144 784 or +44 (0) 28 708 250 67

5 YearGuarantee

On the 28th of July last, driving throughCounty Cork, I came across a beautiful

castle gateway near the small town ofDoneraile. I love old castle gates with theirhighly skilled craftsmanship and their senseof fairytale. These silver iron gates weresurrounded by imposing, impressively cutgrey stone surrounds and they stand guard atthe head of a track leading to Creagh Castle(also known as Castlesaffron) and anothertrack leading to Doneraile Park Demesne.The Demesne is well worth a visit because itis four hundred acres of prime land whichwas set aside by its owners for the creation ofa landscaped park; beauty was the overridingconsideration in its creation. If only we couldsay that more often when writing aboutcontemporary building projects! If we could,then we would surely be living in a better,because more beautiful, world. The Demesnewas created by the St Leger family whoowned extensive landholdings in NorthMunster. The St Legers were landowners inthe region since 1636. One of them, the 4thViscount Doneraile, met a really unpleasantend. The 4th Viscount lived during theVictorian era and foxhunting was one of hispastimes. He kept a pet fox which was housednear a gate at the side of the demesne’s house.This fox became rabid and bit its master. The

Viscount contracted rabies and he wassmothered with pillows by the housemaids tospare him suffering and prevent the diseasespreading to others.

The demesne’s house is known as Doneraile Courtand it was restored by the Irish Georgian Society and isopen to the public. Before the arrival of the St Legers, theland was owned by the Synan family who lived inDoneraile Castle also in the present day demesne. Thefamous poet Edmund Spenser lived nearby in the late1500s in Kilcolman Castle, which no longer exists, andwrote about this district in his celebrated epic poem ‘TheFaerie Queene.’ The Faerie Queene is an allegorical workwhich follows several knights in an examination ofseveral virtues. In Spenser’s ‘A Letter of the Authors,’ hestates that the entire epic poem is ‘cloudily enwrappedin allegorical devises,’ and that the aim of publishingThe Faerie Queene was to ‘fashion a gentleman or nobleperson in virtuous and gentle discipline.’

I was down in County Cork because I was meeting upwith the County Cork Mink Hunt whom I met at half-ten


By Derek Fanning

Mink Hunting With AFriendly Pack In North Cork

A black and tan hound wades through the waters of theAwbeg River in North Cork in quest of mink.

A couple of followers keep an eye out for the quarry on thebank of the Awbeg River near Doneraile, County Cork.

beside a pub at a crossroads. We chatted for severalminutes and then about 30 of us drove off at 11 andstarted hunting quarter of an hour later. As we walkedthrough the fields I chatted to the friendly hunt secretaryAiden Kearney. “We were formerly the Cork City OtterHounds,” said Aiden. “Some years ago we changed tothe Cork City Mink Hunt. About a year and a half agowe changed our name to the County Cork Mink Huntbecause we felt that having the word city in it didn’trepresent the situation anymore. When it was formed in1928 they were all city people. Now we are spread out allover the county so a name change was appropriate. Wehunt a number of rivers throughout Cork and part ofKerry. We also hunt in other parts of the country, byinvitation. For example we have hunted the Nore nearDurrow; the King’s River in Kilkenny. We hunt everySunday from May to September and occasionally bye-days. Next week there will be a full week’s minkhunting. The Desmond are out on Saturday, Monday,Friday, Monday; we’ll be out on Sunday, Wednesday,Saturday. We work our holidays around our hunting. Weare not sun people. We hunt. That’s what we live for.”

Aiden also looks after the South Union Fox houndsand looks after their kennels. “I’m the Kennel huntsmanof the South Union Fox Hounds. I’ve a day job as well.The South Union hunt on horseback on Tuesdays andSaturdays, but I follow on foot. I used to beagle with theBlackwater under Jackie Connors, and also beagled withthe Maryboro Beagles, and the Riverstown Beagles.” Headded that he’s travelled over to England several timesfor hunting events. “This October I’ll be travelling toNewcastle in Northumberland for the NewcastleFieldsports festival. The Newcastle & District Beagles areone of the best packs in England. If you are into harehunting it is a fantastic festival. I know people in theWest Somerset pack quite well and I’ll be meeting themat the festival.”

Aiden pointed out that the number of followers outfor the County Cork’s hunts varies. “It could be anythingfrom 10 to 40 people out. Today is a good meet so thereare quite a few followers present. There is of course a

core membership who turn up every Sunday.The vast majority of the followers present heretoday either beagle or foxhunt during themain hunting season. The huntsman ofCounty Cork is Brian McDonagh and this isBrian’s 31st season in the role. “Brian is basedin Grange, Ovens and he looks after thebitches,” explained Aiden. “John Roche looksafter some doghounds and I look after theother doghounds,” added Aidan.

A day out normally lasts five hoursA typical day out mink hunting consists of

unboxing the hounds between 11:00 and 11:30 andwalking down to the river where the huntsman willdraw and it’s up to the hounds after that. “We arenormally out for five hours, but if we find at 12 o’clockand have a really good three hour hunt, that’s fine andthe huntsman will call for home. But you mightn’t finduntil four o’clock and therefore we carry on huntinguntil six.” He told me that they follow the bank of theriver and frequently cross the river and wade through it.“Today we are hunting the Awbeg River. The Awbeg wasformerly hunted by the Bride Valley Otter Hounds. Theydisbanded about seven or eight years ago. When theywere formed there was an agreement between the CorkCity Otter Hounds and the Bride Valley that they hadthis river and some more. But since they have beendisbanded we are hunting it.”

Shortly after Aiden and I had finished ourconversation we crossed a few fields and came to theAwbeg, which was quite a narrow, small river; it comesfrom the Irish An Abhainn Bheag which means ‘thesmall river.’ It was a lovely day, sun-kissed, with a bit ofthunder and a few showers; fluctuating from a little bitnippy to very warm. The huntsman had brought 13 anda half couple of hounds. It was a mixed pack and, asAiden had explained, the hounds had come from threedifferent kennels. Many of these hounds hunt as wellduring the foxhunting season. The pack included aWelsh long-haired hound, black and tans, harrierhounds, and foxhounds. Aiden explained that manyhounds don’t make good mink hounds. The afternoonwas great fun and the County Cork were a verywelcoming club. There were a wide variety of agesamidst the followers, young to old; and they were allmen.

Brian McDonagh proved to be a very determinedhuntsman. The scent was a bit patchy and the mink wasproving difficult to get, in the sense that the scent wasoften being lost; but while other huntsmen would havegiven up Brian kept on at it. The day lasted for about fivehours, so it was a long outing. Often we were standingon the bank, unmoving for considerable periods,


The hunt is on! And this determined hound swims hard to catch upwith the rest of the pack.

perhaps chatting or perhaps spacing out. When you arestationary on the bank the concept is that you arelooking at the river and are watching for the mink, andfor much of the time you are doing that, but occasionallyone can’t help but space out; I think it’s inevitable if oneis standing there for 15 or 20 minutes in the sunshinelooking at the river with its dappled light.

Initially I was a bit wary about getting into the waterbut finally entered the river and in fact entering the riveris highly recommended, as the world looks differentonce you’re in and it’s beautiful. I was worried aboutgetting my camera wet, but the water never went abovemy waist. My camera was up around my chest so it wasOK. Once you muster the courage and get into the riveryou have to be careful because it is slippery underfoot.Some parts of it are muddy, and people avoid thosesections because one can sink down deeply. Once I wasin the water I realised that it really is the soul andessence of the thing. It is an attractive environment andyou are in this other world; a river-world; with thehounds hunting around you, the dogs splashing in andout of the river; and, as so often when out hunting, Ibegan thinking of the vast numbers of people whoexperienced this activity over many centuries.Sometimes when out hunting I think of the Celts and oftheir mythological creation the Fianna. When we readabout the Fianna the stories are frequently located in anoutdoor world, a world where a great deal of time isdevoted to the chase. Hunting for me is great fun,sociable and excellent exercise but it also contains asense of the sacred. Some people may scoff at such anotion but I feel that the ancient Celts would haveunderstood what I mean, as would the Red Indians ofNorth America.

Nobody minded getting wetAnyway, get into the water is my advice if you ever go

mink hunting. It is, in fact, hard to avoid getting into thewater; you could stay on the bank most of the time butyou’d be missing out on the fun and the beauty. And thewater was quite warm. Appropriate footwear of courseis very important. I wear ecco boots which are perfect forthe task in hand. Their ankle support is also reasonablylow which is an important factor because once you startrunning, high ankle support can result in sprainedankles. Nobody on a mink hunt minds their feet gettingwet. The most important thing is that the boots arecomfortable and are also all right for jogging along in,and for coping with uneven ground. People wear oldclothes. Aiden explained to me that when there is a lot ofrain during the week the County Cork might actuallycancel the hunt or they will avoid certain rivers and headto other rivers which are not too bad.

At one stage we saw the mink running across whatwas referred to as The Island, which was a tiny island inthe middle of the Awbeg compelling the river to brieflyform two branches. We spent a lot of time either on or inthe vicinity of The Island which was a lovely spot, andan area which always contains minks. We saw the mink(sometimes referred to as ‘the animal’) running acrossthis small area of ground with the hounds extremelyclose and I thought it was likely they would catch themink, but they didn’t. Catching the quarry is a rare eventwhen mink hunting. It’s a similar story in beagling.When I go out beagling we sometimes mightn’t catch ahare until ten or more days have elapsed. Thereforebeaglers are definitely not going to affect the numbers ofthe quarry they are pursuing; which is good, because thequarry is there for another day, which means anotherday’s sport.

I really enjoyed my day with the County Cork. Theywere a bit annoyed that the scent was a tad bitsy butpeople were fairly happy at the end. The huntsman hadtried his best and overall I think it was a good day. The

followers were also pleased to hear that thesenior Cork hurling team had beaten Kilkennythat afternoon in the championshipquarterfinal. As we stood looking into theriver for the animal someone was on hismobile and announced to everyone that Corkwon by five points. It was an unexpectedvictory as Cork were the underdogs.

The County Cork is also a sociable bunch.Afterwards they invited me for a few pints butsadly I had to decline as I had to make anappointment that evening.


Huntsman Brian McDonagh (facing the camera)about turns and heads towards the calls of acouple of followers who have spotted the quarry.

Amazing prices on PPU Prvi PartizanAmmunition

Reloading Specialist

Contact us at

Tel: 028 8778 [email protected]

Field & Stream24 Charlemont Street,

Moy, Co. Tyrone

Contact Brian: - 07977253124www.drumbanaghershoot.co.uk

Pups For Sale

Dogs At Stud

Partly Trained Dogs Sometimes Available

DRUMNASCAMP

COCKERSCASTLEDILLON

Quality driven Mallard

Spectacular drives

Parties of 8 guns

Bags can be tailored to suit

Back-to-back days available

Individual gunsoccasionally available

Accomodation and necessary licenses catered for (if required)

CONTACT: O7779714856 or 07714201578

I make approximately 200 walking sticks each year during thewinter from October until the end of May. I then sell these sticksat Game Fairs and Agricultural shows throughout Ireland. Istarted this in 2004 and became aware of the problem of sourcingstick making materials locally. While attending a horn bendingcourse in the North of Scotland with Martin Hyslop of theHighland Horn Company he asked me if I would be interestedin selling his Stickmaking materials in Northern Ireland.

I stock a large quantity of Stickmaking materials and currentlyhave a sizeable stock of rams, black buffalo and cow horn, alsoantler crown and thumb pieces. Stick ferrules, collars andspacers in a range of sizes and materials. Preformed handles forwalking sticks, crooks and marker sticks in both wood and horn.Seasoned straightened shanks in Hazel, Chesnutt, Crab-appleand Ash.

Customers can contact me to arrange to visit my workshop inKillyleagh, County Down to purchase my handmade sticks orstick making materials.

ROBERT MISKELLYPhone: 028 44 821341 Mobile: 07765524900

E-mail: [email protected] Contact me on Facebook

Robert Miskelly -Stick Maker and

Supplier of StickmakingComponents.

Around the Puppy ShowsA new entry of 5½ couple of doghounds and 10½

couple of bitches from nine litters came before judgesDeirdre McKenna, former master of the High PeakHarriers (in Derbyshire) and James Lowry, huntsman ofthe West Meath Foxhounds at the BallymacadFoxhounds’ puppy show. Intermittent rain did not deterthe large number of spectators, all of whom stood at thenew, open showing area in front of the house fromenjoying the spectacle.

The grin says it all – Ballymacad Huntsman Kevin Donahuereceives the Trophy for the Two Couple of Bitches class atthe Stradbally from Yvonne McClintock

After necessarily protracted deliberations Tosh KelletMFH announced the following placings:Doghounds 1. Daly East Galway Caesar 09 Dainty 10.2. Silver East Galway Caesar 09 Four Burrow Signet 073. Simpson Sibling of Silver. Bitches 1. Simply Sibling of Silver , 2. Ribbon Bosco 08Duke of Beaufort Riddle 09, 3. Daylight Sibling of Daly

Simply was then declared Champion puppy withDaly as Reserve Champion.

James Armstrong MFH welcomed a large crowd, on alovely sunny day, to the East Down Foxhounds’ kennels,at Seaforde, where judges Roddy Bailey from CoWexford and Townley Angel, from the LouthFoxhounds, had three couple of doghounds and fourcouple of bitches from two litters to consider.

Huntsman Declan Feeney and whipper-in IanDonoghue had put in a lot of work to make the day gowell and the judges played their part before givingJames Armstrong the following decisions to announce:

Doghounds 1. Malton Middleton Gunner 07Marigold 06, 2. Malvern Sibling of Malton, 3. MarshallSibling of Malton. Bitches 1. Sago Bailey 10 Stable 05, 2.Salary Sibling of Sago, 3. Marion Sibling of Malton.

Not only have the East Down Foxhounds gained anew professional whipper-in but James Armstrong hasbeen joined in the mastership by local businessmanBrian McConville, whose first public appearance in hisnew role this was.

Hunting Association of NorthernIreland annual hound show

A gloriously sunny day greeted us at the HANIannual hound show at Gosford Forest Park, where theArmagh County Agricultural Show kindly continue to

host us at their Annual Show.Our judges this year were Mr

Michael MacEwan, former masterand huntsman of the CattistockFoxhounds and Mr Otis Ferry,master and huntsman of the SouthShropshire Foxhounds since 2004.

Eight Foxhound and twoHarrier packs brought forwardsome quality hounds and prizes


With Tom Fulton

Hunting Roundup

Huntsman Derrie Donegan withTipperary Chieftain The DoghoundChampion at the IMFHA Show atStradbally.

were fairly evenly distributed with no one pack hoggingthe ribbons.

North Down Foxhounds huntsman Tom Haddock hasgot into his stride on the flags and took the prestigioustwo couple of bitches class as well as the doghoundchampionship while the Ballymacad Foxhounds heldthe Republic’s banner high in winning the bitchchampionship.

Results: FoxhoundsChampion Doghound North Down Wiseman 11

(Heythrop Forelock 08-their Willow 08)Reserve Champion Meath Berkeley UE (Exmoor

Belfry 08-Meath Gravy 10)Champion Bitch Ballymacad Sapling 11 (Saturday 06-

Kildare Saintly 08)Reserve Champion Meath Benefit UE (sister of

Berkeley)Harriers

Champion Doghound Mid Antrim Hector 12(Rockwood Harlech 04-Witty 09)

Reserve Champion Mid Antrim Harber 12 (brother ofHector)

Champion Bitch Mid Antrim Baslow 11 (HolcombeBadger 04-High Peak Query 07)

Reserve Champion Fermanagh Hawthorn 12 (Lordly– Julie)

A feature of this Show is that the winners of each classgo into a Champion Hound class to select an overallChampion.

Overall Champion North Down Wiseman 11Reserve Champion Ballymacad Sapling 11. Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association introduce a

Bursary SchemeThe IMFHA have introduced a Bursary Scheme to

bring high potential young people into hunt service.Chairman Rupert MacAuley has overseen the creation ofa system of ‘hands-on’ instruction to develop skills andestablish standards by placing young people with anexperienced huntsman at a willingly participating Hunt.

The first entrant to the scheme is Ian Donoghue, fromDunshaughlin Co Meath, who has joined huntsmanDeclan Feeney at the East Down Foxhounds. RupertMacAuley tells me that it is intended to inviteapplications for a placement next year and, subject to theavailability of funds, he hopes that two placementscould be made. The trainee will be visited on a quarterlybasis and a report will also be furnished by the Huntthus enabling the scheme to be of benefit to theAssociation, to the Hunt and to the trainee.

The IMFHA deserves the highest praise and the fullsupport of everyone as this scheme is of immenseimportance to and for the ultimate benefit of hunting.

Irish Masters of Foxhounds AssociationNational Hound Show

A total of nineteen packs provided judges JamesAndrews MFH (South and West Wilts Foxhounds) andCountess Goress –Saurau, former MFH of the Vale ofWhite Horse Foxhounds, with a large number of qualityhounds to consider.

Stradbally Hall, Co Laois, was again kindly madeavailable by the Cosby family as a venue for the Showand the occasion was greatly enhanced by gloriouslysunny weather. Show chairman David Lalor MFH (LaoisFoxhounds) and his team had been very busy and their


HeythropWiseman 11

ChampionHound at theHANI show at

Gosford ForestPark when

shown by theNorth DownFoxhounds.

organisation paid off with an excellent show. The showopened on a sad note with IMFHA chairman RupertMacauley calling for a minutes silence in memory ofMichael Morris, honorary secretary of the Association,who died earlier this month. The Louth Foxhounds tookthe first two unentered doghound classes with theirStoker and had further successes in the Bitch classes,after lunch, to take their total wins to five classes.

The Doghound Championship went to the unenteredTipperary Chieftain while the Wicklow Foxhoundsmarked their appearance by winning the enteredDoghound Class with their Camelot 12. The BallymacadFoxhounds took their first Doghound Class, the enteredcouple (Open), with Samson and Safeguard 11. In theStallion Hound Class Percy Woggle 09 prevailed for theOrmond Foxhounds in the Old English section while theWicklow Foxhounds notched up their second win withIsland Mendip 11 in the Modern section.

After lunch, the Louth again opened with victories inthe first two classes through Tinsel while she and hersibling, Ticket, took the unentered couples class.Ballymacad Ribbon took the unentered (Open) BitchClass and Waterford’s Charity 12 took the entered OldEnglish Doghound or Bitch Class before Charity went onto take the entered bitch (Restricted) class. The strongdistaff side of the Ballymacad Foxhounds again rose tothe fore in the entered couple of bitches class which waswon by Sable and Sapling 11. Huntsman KevinDonohue’s broad grin was even broader in the nextclass, the prestigious two couple of entered Bitches classwhere Sable 11, Billis 11, Biro 11 and Bobbin 08 prevailed.The Tipperary Foxhounds won the Brood Bitch classwith Sable 09 and Sable went one better in taking theBitch Championship to add to their earlier DoghoundChampionship.

Nineteen packs is a healthy number of contestantswith that number being swollen, this year, by theparticipation of the Wicklow Foxhounds and the SouthUnion Foxhounds, from County Cork. This Showunderlined the increased quality of hounds now beingbred and shown by Irish packs.

Heard it on the grapevineJames Norton has retired from the mastership of the

Westmeath Foot Hounds which he founded in 1999.At the Grallagh Harriers Susan Oakes and Kevin

Hough have joined the mastership where senior masterDavid Burke continues to hunt hounds.

Richard Perry has retired from the kennel huntsman’spost at the South Tyrone Foxhounds.

Craig Caven, in office since 1978, has stood downfrom the mastership of the East Down Foxhounds.

New whipper-in at the East DownFoxhounds.

The new whipper-in at the East Down Foxhounds, IanDonoghue, was born in Co Meath and hunted on ponieswith the Ward Union Staghounds where his great uncle,Andy Lynch, was honorary whipper-in to long servinghuntsman Eamon Dunphy.

Ian graduated to horses with the Ward Union, theMeath Foxhounds and the Tara Harriers then, on leavingschool, he rode out on thoroughbreds for Joe Considineand on halfbreds for Joe Rogers. On seeing the IMFHAadvertisement for the hunt staff Bursary Scheme Ianapplied for an interview and was accepted, then placedwith Declan Feeney from whom he is ‘learning everyday.’ This is an excellent scheme which will hopefullycontinue to attract high quality young people and placethem with first class professional mentors.

Death of Michael Morris, HonoraryTreasurer of the Irish Masters ofFoxhounds Association.

The death has occurred of Michael Morris, honorarytreasurer of the IMFHA. An avid hunting man Michaelhad been master of the Kilmoganny Foxhounds (1984-89) and of the Waterford Foxhounds (1989-91) as well ashaving been honorary secretary of the IMFHA.

A highly respected figure in Irish hunting circlesMichael leaves a wife, Susan, two daughters Faith andSusannah and a son, Richard, to whom every sympathyis extended in their very sad loss.


Brian McConville MFH presents Freyja Armstrong with heraward as Champion Puppy Malton’s puppy walker at theEast Down Foxhound Puppy Show.

www.northdownmarquees.co.ukwww.eventus.ie

Exceptional Solutions for Corporate & Sporting Events,Weddings, Private Parties, Exhibitions& Agricultural Shows

Ireland’s Premier Event Specialists

Marquees Tableware Furniture Generators Catering Equipment Event Electrics & Lighting Luxury Toilet Units Portable Refrigeration

Ballynahinch Road, Belfast, Northern IrelandT: +44 (0)28 9081 5535 E: [email protected]

Galway Road, Tuam, Co. Galway, IrelandT: +353 93 24472 E: [email protected]

The hot summer months made us all veryoptimistic about the Scottish shooting

season. Many estates reported they were fullybooked well in advance of the season startingon the glorious twelfth. Previous years weretough as they were blighted by bad weather.The prolonged cold and wet spell in 2012 meantmany game birds perished. Wild birdsstruggled to survive in the tough conditions andreared birds were weakened and susceptible todisease. High winds brought down trees andchanged the landscape; constant rainfall meantrivers burst their banks and flooded large areasof land. However, the long hot summer monthsof 2013 raised our hopes considerably.

Dick Hardy is the shooting tenant of the 10,000 acreGlen Clova Estate in the Angus Glens and 3,000 acreKinblethmont Estate. Dick and his son Mike rear theirown pheasant, partridge and duck. Their guests enjoythe challenge of shooting high flying, strong birds fromthe sides of the glen. Dick, who will turn seventy nextyear, said: “2012 was the worse summer I can recall butthis year is the second best in my lifetime. The first onewas in 1976, it was exceptional year and I rememberseeing the wild partridge numbers explode, they werelike swarms of bees.”

The key time for game birds is from late May to theend of June, so this year’s warm weather ensured good


By Linda Mellor

Sunny outlook for theScottish shooting season

Testing - high driven pheasant at Glen Clova.

conditions and plenty insect life for the birds to feed on.Dick says: “The season is looking fantastic and thanks tothe good weather we are ahead. The birds are thriving;they are content, happy and have put weight on. All ourdates are booked and we are going into the season veryhappy.”

Equally buoyant is Johnnie Balfour of Balbirnie Estatein Fife. He says: “All of our days were sold by June andwe have had to turn people away.” Balbirnie is spreadover 5,000 acres and has been in the Balfour family since1642.

The estate is an interesting mix of rolling landscapes,woodland, eight duck ponds and a heather clad grousemoor. Guests enjoy driven days but the most popular arethe rough and walked-up days to shoot partridge,pheasant, teal, widgeon, pigeon, mallard, snipe andwoodcock. Balbirnie is the only estate in Fife to havegrouse so they offer a handful of walked-up grouse dayson the east Lomond hill.

And he added: “We lost lots of woods at the beginningof last year in a storm which made the planning quitedifficult and then vermin got into one of the pens at thewrong moment so this year has the makings of an easieryear for Cameron the Gamekeeper to plan. In addition,we are growing a more diverse mix of better qualitycover crops in many of the field margins so the habitatsshould be better for both reared and wild birdsthroughout the season.”

A hectic shooting season is also a welcome prospectfor estates further north. “We are looking forward to abusy time as our bookings are up for the drivenpartridge and pheasant on our low ground shoots,” saysAlastair Lyon, Head Keeper on Ralia Estate in theCairngorm National Park. Alastair offers a diverse rangeof shooting, including Ptarmigan and duck, over 23,000acres. The land includes the big hills at Drumochter aswell as farmland and low ground shoots at Ralia.Alastair continued: “The grouse numbers on southDrumochter looks similar to last year but north is poorwith a lot of late broods and small coveys. We will shootlightly on the north side and hopefully leave a goodstock for next year.”

The scenery on Drumochter is breathtaking. I wasfortunate enough to be a guest of Texan Chris Godfrey inAugust. We enjoyed a day on the hill shooting grouseover pointers with Alastair. The weather conditions werevery good that day, warm with a breeze to keep themidges away and occasional light showers of rain to coolyou down. Chris was visiting from Texas to shoot grousein Scotland and wore his kilt and Stetson. He shot verywell and I bagged my very first grouse.

We sat in the heather some 3,000 feet up enjoying ourlunch, listening to the grouse cackle as we looked outover the purple heather clad hill tops and watched arainbow arching over the loch below us. These scenes arefood for the soul, or as Chris said: “We had us a time!”


In the bag at Balbirnie.

Chirnside hall hotel in the Scottish borders is ownedand run by Christian and Tessa Korsten. Originally fromthe Netherlands they settled in Scotland and bought thehotel 13 years ago. The couple are very passionate aboutfield sports and turned the hotel into a popular sportingdestination. They have access to more than 20,000 acresto provide guests with deer stalking, driven, walked up

and rough shooting. They have pheasant woods,partridge drives, duck ponds and grouse moors. Thearea also boasts a healthy roe population and theyregularly stalk medal class bucks.

I spent three days at Chirnside last season, joining agroup of nine gentlemen from the Netherlands midwaythough their week long beak. On my first day, we shotdriven partridge and, in the evening, duck from hidesbefore returning to the hotel to dine on local game in thetrophy room. The following day after breakfast we were

headed to the Lammermuir hills ferreting for rabbitsthen we finished the day with driven duck. The nextmorning we were out before dawn on a roe buck stalkthen after breakfast we had a day of driven duck.

Christian commented: “The good summer monthshave ensured very healthy numbers of wild stock, thepheasants, grey partridges, grouse, ducks and even the

redleg partridgeshave done well.Thanks to the warm,dry summer all thereleasing of rearedpheasants, partridgesand ducks is goingsmoothly.

“Our expectationsfor this season arehigh. We have a smallgrouse moor on theLammermuir hills ofapproximately 1500acres for walked-upor small driven days.On the glorioustwelfth we organisedour first properdriven day and it was

a big success, we shot a record bag of grouse. This is agreat omen for the rest of the season.”

The shooting season in Scotland got off to a great startwith good weather boosting healthy game stocks. Awarm Scottish welcome awaits you!

For more information visit www.chirnsidehallhotel.com

www.balbirnie.comwww.raliaestate.com or call Dick Hardy,

Glen Clova Game Shooting telephone: 01241 828386


Framed by the rainbow on Drumochter.The Author’s first grouse.

Fast and furious - partridge at Chirnside

Ralia Estate Highlands of ScotlandRalia is a playground for the avid field sports enthusiast. The Estate runs tosome 22000 acres and starts at 700ft reaching up to over 3000ft into Munrocountry. The Estate offers driven grouse shooting over some of the wildestterrain in Scotland making every grouse memorable.

Walked up grouse over pointers is one of the Estates specialities. Ralia alsohas one of Scotlands best known driven partridge/pheasant shoot on thehigh banks of the River Spey and on the low moorland and is enjoyed by ourworldwide clients. Stag and hind stalking is also available from September toDecember over spectacular moutainous scenery. All these sports can bepursued whilst staying at Ralia Lodge where you will be looked after by afriendly team and in the evenings you can relax on deep sofas in front ofroaring fires and experience the fantastic cuisine and comfort of which Raliais known for.

For further information please feel free to contact us on0044 1540670053 or by email on [email protected]

or visit our web site raliaestate.com

During November of last year my wife andI took a few days off to go shooting in

Scotland. We both work on Sundays so tookour break midweek. As there were only thetwo of us our host and ghillie, Davy Milne ofShooting Events Scotland, asked if weminded an American gentleman joining withus. Of course we didn’t mind and so lookedforward to our first time shooting geese andduck.

We met our American friend on the Monday eveningand although we were determined to be open mindedabout our shooting partner we were surprised to findhim to be a caricature of what we might expect anAmerican to be. He was loud, brash, overbearing, andtalked incessantly about his own prowess as a hunter!The next morning we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and setoff well before dawn, arriving at the field in darkness.Jen and I immediately began to set up hides and decoys,under Davy’s supervision. Once settled we waited in thehide. The crispness of the morning and the light drizzleonly made the rising sun more beautiful as it filtered

through in rainbows, lighting the golden stubble inmajesty which would rival the finest stained glass of anygreat cathedral. We waited in silence until we heard thefaint honking of the first geese of the day as they rosefrom distant ponds eager to feed in our field. As theycame into first sight Davy shouted over in a stagewhisper,

“Jenny can ya see the geese?”“Yes,” she replied, “they’re beautiful.”“Aye, well if you ken see them, they ken see you -

keep yer heid doon!”We have never seen or heard a sight like it. The

honking grew steadily louder. Davy had told us of thenoise but nothing could prepare you for this first greatexperience. The sky darkened with hundreds of geeseflying high above and, as many turned to land and feed,we could hear the flapping of their great wings as theycame increasingly closer allowing us ample time tochoose sporting birds well in flight. These birds were inbeautiful lean condition, freshly returned from thebreeding grounds of Greenland.

Our American friend only left the comfort of the Land


From Reverends Stephen & Jennifer McWhirter

MANNA AND QUAIL

The Authors ready for the field. (Photo courtesy of RNB Photography)

Rover as the first geese arrived, missing the beauty of thesunrise. He wondered over to the hide Davy hadprepared for him, and asked: “How many geese am Iallowed to kill?”

Davy, visibly taken aback, struggled for anappropriate answer until his guest suggested a personalbag of 70. Jen and I had already discussed our own limitsthe evening before and decided that 10 geese would fillour freezer with ample fare for a year and Christmasdinner for our parents and siblings.

In the book of Exodus we find the Israelites tired andhungry close to the beginning of their forty year journeyto the promised land, a land flowing with milk andhoney. The Israelites are now regretting their escapefrom captivity: “There (in Egypt) we sat round pots ofmeat and ate all the food we wanted, but you havebrought us out into the desert to starve this entireassembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2c NIV.) God, hearingtheir complaint, promises that he will supply all theneeds of His chosen people and instructs Moses:

“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tellthem, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morningyou will be filled with bread. Then you will know that Iam the Lord your God.’ That evening quail came andcovered the camp, and in the morning there was a layerof dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thinflakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desertfloor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other,“What is it?” For they did not know what it was.”(Exodus 16:12-15) Each day through the gift of God theygather two quail apiece and as much bread as theyrequire. Moses instructs them to take only what they willneed. “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”(Exodus: 16: 19) Some, however, are greedy and takemuch more than they need, waking the next morning tofind their grand meal rotting and filled with maggots.

Our American friend killed many more birds than Jenand I put together, but nowhere near his personal target.Of all these birds he chose the pelt of one particularlyfine mallard, which he intended to have mounted. Davyhas his own processing plant, though, so not a bird waswasted. The American, I felt, treated our fine country

and noble sport with contempt, he left the field withoutpicking up either bird or spent cartridge.

There are many and varied reasons why those of uswho love country sports pursue our hobby. For us thereis something quite satisfying to have been at a shoot oneday and eat the fruits of your labour the next, and ofcourse all shoots either use the meat themselves or sellthrough game dealers so that all animals who meet theirdemise in this way are used without waste.

We live in an increasingly secular world in whichfewer and fewer find their morals and values within thepages of the Bible, that Jen and I ply as our trade. Manyare quick to adhere to fashionable morals againstcountrysports, all the while wearing their leather coatsand shoes and enjoying everything that Mr McDonaldhas to offer in every corner of the globe. Where, Iwonder, is the integrity in that? Far better, surely, toenjoy shooting and put on the table the product of aday’s pleasant sport.

Jen and I enjoyed a wonderful few days of shooting,learning so much from Davy and even from ourAmerican friend. Enjoying the early morning breakfastand waiting for the sun to rise over the stubble to theexhilarating honk of the distant geese I was reminded ofthe wonder of God’s creation and providence and tookto heart the lessons of Moses.

Shoot what can be used and enjoy God’s abundance!Peace be with you.


Waiting in the hide with light rivalling the finest stained glass window of a cathedral.

Imagine the scene. Mile after mile ofheather moorland stretches out all around

with a backdrop of tall mountains loomingblue in the summer haze. The big pointer isstanding absolutely motionless, tail andneck stretched out, head high, nostrilsscenting the air, totally fixated on a patch ofheather twenty yards in front. The doghandler checks on either side that the Gunsare ready, in position and alert; then heclicks his fingers and the dog inchesforward, one careful step at a time. The Gunsease along with him, concentrating on thatpatch of heather. One step, another, anotherand then, suddenly, the air is full of grouseas a covey bursts into the air. The birdsswing left and right, the old cock shoutingdefiance as he leads his brood away. TheGuns react after a single, heart-stoppingmoment of surprise, even though they wereexpecting the covey, then BOOM!KABOOM! Two shots crash out across theheather; the air is filled with thick greysmoke and a voice asks, rather plaintively,‘Did anything fall?’ Welcome to grouseshooting with a muzzle loader.

Back in the days when all shooting was done withmuzzle loaders there was only one way to shoot grouse– over pointing dogs. The nineteenth century sportsmantook to the hill with his pointers and setters and his

muzzle loading guns because that was simply the way itwas done. The dogs found the birds, pointed them andwaited patiently for the Guns to come up to them. Oncethe first grouse had risen and been shot – or missed – theaction was suspended for a few minutes while the gunswere reloaded, then the dogs were cast off again and itwas on to the next point. Only with the arrival of thebreech loading shotgun did the idea of driving birds tostanding Guns become feasible and fashionable.

At about the same time as the breech loader and rapidfire became generally available better methods ofmoorland management saw a tremendous rise in thenumbers of grouse. Heather burning to provide freshyoung shoots for food and longer stands of heather forshelter and nest sites, coupled with efficient predatorcontrol saw grouse numbers spiral upwards and drivenshooting quickly became the norm. The early sportsmenhad relished tramping for miles over the moors andshooting relatively small numbers of birds, but with theadvent of the driven shoot the more sedentary Guncould ride a pony right up to his shooting butt and shootgrouse by the hundred with only the minimum ofphysical effort. He would even have a man to load hisguns for him. But despite many dire predictions over theyears pointers and setters are not yet redundant andevery year, from choice, or because there is too low adensity of birds for driving, some Guns still take to thehills with their birddogs. In a few cases some will evenstep right back into the past and revert to using muzzleloaders.


From David Hudson

Grouse With A Muzzleloader

Something special about the roar ofblack powder

Why muzzleloaders? I think the only proper answeris: ‘Why not?’ After all, shooting grouse over pointersand setters is a bit of an anachronism these days so whynot go the whole way and shoot with the same weaponsthat the Victorian sportsman used as well as copying hismethods? And besides, there is something special aboutthe roar of black powder; the clouds of sulphuroussmoke and the whole ritual of pouring and rammingpowder and shot into the barrels from the sharp endinstead of simply pushing a lever and shoving twocartridges into the breech.

It takes a while to reload once a shot has been fired.First you take your powder flask and pour a measure ofblack powder down the barrel, then reach into yourpocket for a felt wad: pop it into the muzzle, slip the ramrod out from its loops and ram the wad down onto thetop of the powder. Next comes the shot flask to measureout an ounce or so of shot, then a cardboard overshotwad which is also rammed down into position to stopthe shot pouring back out once the gun is lifted into thehorizontal plane. The ramrod is replaced in the loopsunder the barrel, then the hammer is drawn back into thehalf cock position and a percussion cap is slipped on tothe nipple. Draw the hammer fully back and the gun isready to fire. Total time, for one barrel: perhaps thirty-seconds. It doesn’t sound very long, but if you werewaiting in a grouse butt with coveys pouring over you,believe me, it would seem like half a millennium. But ifyou are standing on a moor with thepointers lying quietly at your feetand no prospect of a shot until theyare cast off again, it is simply a gentlebreak in the routine of the day. Thereis no pressure and no hurry: thedogs will get a bit of a rest and thegrouse will still be there wheneveryou decide to start off again.

Sometimes though it is useful tobe able to get the guns back intoaction reasonably quickly. Let us

suppose that the dog has pointed,half a dozen grouse have risen andfour shots have been fired. We willbe kind to our Guns and allow thatthree grouse have tumbled into theheather. Normally this is themoment when we would send aLabrador in to retrieve them but weobserve that the pointer is still onpoint. There may still be one or two– or perhaps another half dozen –grouse sitting tightly in the heather

just in front of us. Normally the dog handler would say:‘Reload,’ the Guns would grab a couple of cartridgeseach from belt or pocket and within two or three-secondsthey would be ready for further action. Today it is goingto take a little longer.

The important thing is not to hurry. It is all too easy tomake a mistake when scrambling to get powder, shotand wads pushed down the barrels. Some mistakes aremerely annoying – perhaps you pour the shot in firstinstead of the powder, or forget the over-powder wad –but others are potentially dangerous. It is all too easy topour a double dose of powder into one barrel or to loada second charge on top of an unfired one raising thepossibility of a burst. Ideally you will have made a markon the ramrod that should line up with the end of thebarrel when it is properly charged, but when you arescrambling to load up with a pointer quivering withexcitement and grouse right under your feet liable to riseat any moment it is possible that you might forget tocheck that vital mark. So don’t rush: take your time andif the grouse should happen to rise before you arereloaded, then so be it. There will be other coveys beforethe day is over. But assuming the birds sit tightly, onceyou and your fellow Gun are ready it is time to click thepointer in to clear his ground and only then should theretriever be loosed to do his stuff.

It was a frustrating dayThere was a day, a few years ago, when we were

shooting grouse with muzzleloaders on a hill high above


Harry and Jeremy moving in to Fred'spoint with dog handler Georginadirecting matters.

Seconds later the spaniel races in toflush the grouse.

Loch Tay. There were not, if truth be told, that manygrouse about and the pointers were having to work hardto find them. Unfortunately, nearly every time we got apoint one of the Guns insisted on walking forward withhis cocker spaniel at heel. This would not have been aproblem had the spaniel remained at heel, but as soon asit spotted the pointing dog it raced forward to flush thegrouse – generally with the Guns still twenty yards or soout of range. It was a frustrating day. If you are going toshoot grouse over pointers, irrespective of whether youare using an ancient muzzle loader or brand new Purdey,please keep your dog at heel or better still get someoneto hold him, on a lead, when you go in to a point.Flushing grouse from under a pointer’s nose is liable tomake the dog unsteady. It doesn’t do much for the doghandler’s equilibrium either.

Shooting with a percussion muzzleloader shouldn’tbe that much different to shooting with a normal gun,apart from the clouds of smoke that obscure your visionand make taking a second bird a little difficult. Theremay be a fractional difference in lock times betweenpercussion cap and regular cartridge, but it is notnoticeable in practice. I wonder though, how much moredifficult it would be to take to the hill with a flintlockshotgun? Not only would you have the slow reloadingand the clouds of smoke to overcome, but you wouldhave to modify your shooting technique as well to copewith flintlock’s firing sequence. You pull the trigger, thecock falls and there is a fizz, a flash from the pan andthen, after a quite noticeable delay, the roar of the maincharge igniting. Snap shooting is definitely out.Presumably you have to maintain some sort of lead onyour target and wait for the Bang! Difficult? I’m sure itis, but you have only to read Colonel Hawker’s Diariesto learn just how deadly a good shot could be with bothflintlock and percussion muzzleloaders.

Clearly the muzzleloader is never going to make acomeback. The modern breech-loading shotgun is somuch quicker, safer and easier to handle. Themuzzleloaders that we use on our occasional forays areheavy, poorly balanced and not terribly reliable whichperhaps accounts for the relatively poor kills tocartridges (if that is the right word) ratio that usuallyresults. Even so, there is something special about a dayon the hill hung about with shot flasks and powderhorns, pockets stuffed with wads and percussion caps,and the shattering Boom as the black powder explodesand the smoke spouts from the barrels. Not to mentionthat plaintive cry of ‘Did anything fall….?’

Harry rammingdown a fresh

charge.

Laurie and Georgina going in to 'Jake's' point.Labrador sitting and spaniel on lead.


WWW.CASALE 2000 LTD.COM3/4/5 BANK PLACE CASHEL LADYSWELL ST. CASHEL

Co. TIPPERARY IRELAND Co. TIPPERARY IRELAND

TEL: 00353 (0) 62 63106 FAX: 00353 (0) 62 65562

WWW.MORELLICASHEL.COM [email protected]

There is something very magical for thesetter and pointer enthusiast about the

highlands of Scotland. The beautiful estatesthere are custom made to provide the mostthorough test possible for our section ofgundogs. Dogs have to run and search and arenearly guaranteed an opportunity on game,should their search be extensive andthorough enough. This virtual guarantee setthe trials maybe a little ahead of the venueswe enjoy in Northern Ireland, althoughthankfully game has been incredibly reliablehere too over the last few years, where againthe venues are perfect for testing the speed,stamina and ground coverage of the dogs, asrequired by the basic requirements laid downby the Kennel Club.

But the scale and extensiveness of the highlandmoors, the dedication of the gamekeepers and the partthe moors play in binding the highland communitiestogether. The views, whether snow capped high tops in

the spring, or the purple clad hills in the summer, givethe visitor a feel that they are in a very special place. Itreasure every visit to the Highlands and whether mydogs go well or not, the time spent working them thereis very unique.

As I write, we are about to embark on the summervisit to Scotland and the sense of anticipation is great,particularly given the excellent record of Ulster dogs; onthe Scottish summer circuit last year when we accountedfor four out of five Open Stakes. This success was carriedon into the spring of 2013 too.

However, this spring, a sense of uncertainty began tocreep in a few weeks before we were due to travel. Theweather forecast began to contain the doom and gloomof predictions of serious snow disruption. Word camethrough the week before that the English Spring Trialsdue to be held in Co Durham were wiped out, leavinglots of triallers from all over the UK and Ireland sittingstranded in their accommodation in the north ofEngland. There were still hopes that the Perthshire trialsmight go ahead. Decisions quickly followed and they too


By ‘Glynlark’

Trialling Setters and Pointersin Scotland

Carol Calvert with Glynlark Glorious Twelfth and Glynlark Gamekeeper discussing the action with Glasgow’s Brian Morriswith a frozen Lochindorb in the background.

were cancelled. Was there any hope for the trials in thefar north if the venues in the traditionally milder southhad been wiped out? Feedback from the keepers and FTSecretaries continued to be optimistic, but this wasgreeted with some scepticism by those who hadn’t yetleft their homes to begin the journey. The majority of theNI competitors were traveling over on Friday 22nd orSaturday 23rd March. Imagine the feelings which wereengendered when disembarkation from the ferry metclosed roads with no prospect of movement eithereastwards to Dumfries or the desired north up the A77.

Roads had been closed by continued drifting snow earlyon Friday afternoon and the cross-channel ferries

continued to unload their passengers into Stranraer thatwas valiantly trying to cope with the unexpectednumbers of stranded humans. Leisure Centres andCommunity Centres were opened to attempt to providethe stranded with somewhere warm to rest overnight.By Saturday morning there were four triallers holed upin the car park by the old ferry terminal in Stranraer,seriously questioning the sense of attempting to journeyany further north. However the A77 was finallyreopened at 1pm on Saturday afternoon and the verydelayed trip could finally be begun. Driving north, therewas still evidence of snow, virtually the whole waythere. However, by this time,Nicky Ackerley-Kemp wasmanaging to run the Gordon Setter Association Noviceon Balnespick Moor near Tomatin. Despite ongoingsnow the judges were able to run the Trial and it waswon by Billy Darragh and NI’s Mark Adams fromBallymena received a Certificate of Merit in his first trialwith his young IRSD Ballydavid Spitfire.

Cawdor with the Pointer Club of ScotlandMonday saw the pointer and setter enthusiasts gather

on the lovely Cawdor Estate (by kind permission of LordCawdor) where the shoot Manager, Roddy Forbes, gaveus a warm welcome and led us out along hill tracks tobegin our Open Stake which was being run by thePointer Club of Scotland under the efficient directorshipof FT Manager Richard MacNicol. There was snow in thewind all day and it was cold and early signs showed thatscenting conditions were tricky. The first dog to makegood her chances were Bill Connolly’s three year old ESBBallyellen Cara under the very able piloting of hertrainer Gerald Devine. Shortly afterwards, the secondfind in the judges books was by my own IRSB GlynlarkAmazing Grace. Lots of further chances were there andsome dogs ran really well without an opportunity forgame. Gerald Devine had a good find with his little darkESB Gortinreagh Clio and Mrs Julie Organ also had afind with her PB Sparkfield Bonnet of Fernglen and herhusband Colin also recorded a couple of finds withMargaret Sierakowski’s IR&WSB Dalreich Neige. Afterlunch the convoy of vehicles moved a considerabledistance around the estate roads and stopped in an areawhere there was initially quite a snow covering. Ninebrace of dogs had been recalled for a second round. Thefirst brace out Billy Darragh’s FTCh GlendrisockArabella (2nd in 2012 Champion Stake) and my IRSBGrace who both seemed somewhat confused by theconditions and did not run the way they could. The firstdog in the second round to record a find was my IRSDGlynlark Azlyn who located and produced a pair ofbirds on the sunnier and clearer ground on the righthand slope of the hill. At the end of the second round thejudges asked three brace of dogs to continue for a third


Carol Calvert receiving the SFTA Novice Trophy from theofficial gun - Gavin Kippen.

Gerald Devine with his awards for winning the Pointer Clubof Scotland Open Stake from FT Manager Richard MacNicol.

round. Ballyellen Cara had a long and impressive runwith Laurence McAlister’s very good PB FTCh ArdclinisCaitlin. They did not meet birds. This was followedshortly afterwards by my IRSD IntFTCh Glynlark Apollo(winner of the 2012 Irish Championship) having a nicefind on the left hand side of the beat shortly after beingcast off with Richard MacNicol’s PB Gannochy Saphireof Gerensary. The third brace of the third round pairedmy Azlyn with Richard’s Ardclinis Calypso of Gerensarybut they had an uneventful run. The judges, Cornwall’sCarol Brown and Glasgow’s Brian Morris, then called fora small extension of two dogs: Laurence’s Caitlin andRichard’s Saphire. Despite a long run they did not meetany further game and the judges called it a day.

On returning to the lodge at Drynachan, the FTManager Richard MacNicol announced the results: Firstplace went to the very impressive Ballyellen Cara. ThisESB had run beautifully all day, inch perfect in herground work and immaculate on her birds in very trickyconditions. The win added to the one she had claimed inGlarryford in October 2012, gave her FTCh title. Insecond place was my IRSD IntFTCh Glynlark Apollo,who again had run with speed and precision in allrounds and had a good find in tricky conditions.Certificates of Merit were awarded to Julie Organ’s PBSparkfield Bonnet of Fernglen, Margaret Sierakowski’sIR&WSB Dalriach Neige and my IRSD Glynlark Azlyn.

Drynachan Lodge again for the Novice StakeThe following morning the meet was again at

Drynachan Lodge where the draw for the Novice Stakewas made. This time the ground chosen for thecompetition was just on the southside of the river almostwithin sight of the Lodge. This was by far the coldestand most unpleasant day of the week. Again scentingconditions were very tricky and the first find for thejudges was recorded by Mark Adams with BallydavidSpitfire, in only his and his dog’s second trial. Manyother chances were squandered and it was Jon Kean whohad a find with his PD Fearn Questren producing birdsafter along work out. Wilson Young also had a good findwith his GSD Ensay Finvarra producing birds behindmy IRSD Glynlark Glorious Twelfth. The second roundbegan with Richard MacNicol having an early find withhis PB and then Bob Whitworth also doing some goodwork with his GSB Clitters Fern of Breightonside. Thetrial was now progressing on to some excellent runningground and there were some dogs who really showedtheir paces, but there were no further finds to alter theresult.

By the time the judges had seen enough, competitors,despite the heat of competition, were thoroughly chilledand very, very happy to move down the hill to slightlymilder conditions for the results. Winner was Richard

MacNicol’s PB Gannochy Saphire of Gerensary, BobWhitworth steered his GSB Clitters Fern ofBreightonside into second place, Mark Adamsmaintained his 100% record of finishing in the awards bysecuring third spot with Ballydavid Spitfire. Fourth wasJon Kean’s Fearn Questren. Richard received theDamson Wood Farthing Cup for winning the Noviceand the Dinah Might Trophy for best pointer at theTrials. The Garvault Hotel Cup for best setter at the Meetwas presented to Bill Connolly’s FTCh Ballyellen Cara. A


Gerald Devine with the two new Field Trial Champions hemade up on the Scottish Spring circuit. His own FTChGortinreagh Eppie and Bill Connolly’s ESB FTCh BallyellenCara.

Edward Butler receiving the awards for the SGA Novicefrom Club Secretary Maggie Northcott.

very notable addition to these two days of Trialling wasthe presence of the trainee gamekeepers from the NorthHighland College in Thurso where Richard MacNicol isa lecturer. These young keepers will surely be the futureof keepering and engendering their interest in pointingdogs at this stage of their training will surely helpdevelop a good relationship which will mutually benefitthe estates and the bird dog fraternity far into the future.They were also very obliging in helping to hold dogs forthose who had multiple entries – something which isvery much appreciated.

Scottish Gundog Association’s Open Stakeheld at Lochindorb Estate

Wednesday saw us able to continue to the ScottishGundog Association’s Open Stake held at Lochindorbestate by kind permission of Mr Fletcher and the KinraraEstate Partnership. Hon Sec Maggie Northcott gave herusual warm welcome and the draw was made for thefirst round near the loch-side. The judges for the nexttwo days were to be Dominic Goutorbe and SarahChichester. It was obvious before the first dog was let offthe lead that conditions were going to be tricky as birdscould be seen flying and could be heard calling down bythe loch. The early braces were subjected to what couldonly be described as a minefield and many were themistakes that were made until the trial managed toprogress beyond these banks and into slightly moreopen ground, although the abundance of game andincredibly difficult scenting conditions was to make thewhole day a matter of survival. By the end of the firstround there were a few clean finds recorded in thejudges books. Laurence McAlister had good work withhis PB FTCh Ardclinis Caitlin, as did two red setters ofBilly Darragh (FTCh Glendrisock Arabella) and mine(IntFTCh Glynlark Apollo). Five and a half brace wererecalled into round two and it was a story of lost chanceswith only Colin Organ recording a good find withMaureen Thomas’s PD Amshot Eric’s Charm. First placewent to Laurence McAlister’s very good PB FTChArclinis Caitlin and second place to Mrs Julie Organ’s PBSparkfield Bonnet of Fernglen. Brian Morris took thirdspot with his IRSD Bownard Boffin while MaureenThomas’s PD Amscot Eric’s Charm was fourth. Insumming up, Dominic stated that conditions had beenvery, very challenging and whilst the judges had beenvery sorry to lose the 2 red dogs who had shone inRound 1 they were very happy to be able to make a fullset of awards.

Lochindorb Novice StakeThe week continued with the Scottish Gundog

Association’s Novice Stake, again at Lochindorb, onThursday. With the same judges 15 brace of novice dogs

set out on a sunny but cold morning. Whilst we werevery close to the previous day’s ground, there were lessbirds and this allowed the dogs to put in some gooduninterrupted running. Again there was a great concernabout the scenting conditions as opportunities were notcapitalised on. Moving below the track where the carswere parked, we seemed to meet more game and JaneHope’s GSB Carnockmoor Shilfa had a good find insome sheltered banks shortly after she was released. Thefirst round was finished well before lunchtime andeveryone retired for an early cup of coffee. The judgesrecalled 4 ½ brace of dogs for round two and wecontinued on from where the first round had ended. Thisround did not take long to complete as grouse wereencountered quickly and again mistakes were the orderof the day. The first brace had obviously run past a bird,as the judges walked it up when the dogs were well infront. One of the second brace fell quite quickly whenpressurising birds he obviously knew were there. Thebye-dog a Gordon Setter was called in to run on with hissurviving partner Edward Butler’s IRSB HunshigoKestrel. The Gordon got snagged on scent on the righthand side of the beat leaving the red to locate birds infront. The fourth brace were running well but did nottake the grouse opportunity when it arose and the fourthbrace who both had finds in Round 1 did not fare anybetter, with only one surviving. On returning to thevehicles, the judges gave Edward Butler’s 4½ year oldIRSB first place and Jane Hope’s GSB CarnockmoorShilfa received a Certificate of Merit.

Scottish Field Trial Association at DalmagarryThe next two days of competition were to be

organised by Jon Kean on behalf of the Scottish FieldTrial Association. We moved up along the A9 nearTomatin to the very scenic Dalmagarry Estate. A veryinteresting Open Stake was judged by the vastlyexperienced husband and wife team Colin and JulieOrgan. Birds were encountered straightaway; againthere was a mix of good work and mistakes throughoutthe Trial. My IntFTCh Glynlark Apollo was the first tohave a find on the extreme left of the beat in the secondbrace of the day while his brace mate drew forward andgot into bother on the right hand side. I was back in thethird brace with my IRSB Glynlark Amazing Grace,drawn with Gerald Devine’s very precocious 16 ½month old puppy Gortinreagh Eppie. The dogs hadn’tcovered much ground until Eppie coming in from theright drew forward and pointed, Grace coming in fromthe left backed. Eppie was given the workout andproduced her birds well. When she was taken backGrace worked out to the spot where they had risen. Afteranother couple of casts there was an almost carbon copysituation, except this time Eppie seemed to draw her


birds from further back and had a very good work out toproduce her pair. The stake then progressed with quite alot of errors creeping in. Some dogs seemed confused byscent and there were quite a lot of non-productivepoints. A few dogs ran well without encounters on gameand by the time the first round was completed, thejudges felt able to recall 6 brace of dogs for another runin round two. Again there was a good supply of birds. Afew dogs with finds were seen to drop in the judges’estimation while a few others moved into contention.The highlight of Round two was the young ESB Eppie’srun with Laurence McAlister’s PB Caitlin. After a coupleof casts Eppie threw up her head and drew right up thecentre of the beat, before setting staunchly. The PBcoming in from the left was dropped, but didn’t distractEppie at all – she worked out on the judge’s instructionand produced first one and then the second bird in thepair. This put the icing on the good work she had donein round one. My IRSD Glynlark Gamekeeper, who hadembarrassed me at the previous Open, by decidingdoing his own thing was preferable to listening to me,really put it all together with some powerful, widecasting running in Round two culminating with a strongpoint on the left wing. Holding steady until I reachedhim, he worked in sweetly and produced his grouse. Hehad had a disrupted run in Round 1 as he and his brace-mate had been started at a point when the ground fellaway steeply. Both had run well and obeyed theirhandlers, but the judges had taken them back to newground to give them a better chance and they hadcompleted some nice running. Other dogs were run on,but most perished as they failed to capitalise on thechances offered.

Back at the cars, the awards were announced and aspredicted the Trial was won by 16 month oldGortinreagh Eppie. This win combined with her win atGlennoo Shoot in October when she was just 11 monthsold gave her UK Field Trial Champion title. This issurely one of the youngest dogs ever to gain this award.Second place was given to my IRSD GlynlarkGamekeeper, Wilson Young took third spot with his PDGerensary Expresso of Burncastle, while Brian Morris’sIRSD Bownard Boffin was fourth. Certificates of meritwere awarded to Richard MacNicol’s PB ArdclinisCalypso of Gerensary and my own IRSD IntFTChGlynlark Apollo. Gun’s Choice decided by GavinKippen, son of local Gamekeeper Calum, was awardedto my IRSD Glynlark Azlyn.

Balmy weather for the final Novice StakeTo round the week off, we returned to Dalmagarry on

a positively balmy sunny Saturday for the final NoviceStake of the week being run By the Scottish Field TrialsAssociation. The wind was not coming from the easiest

direction to allow the trial to run where the judgeswanted to go, so it was decided to have a long hike outto get to the best starting point and then run the trial ina continuous beat, ending up back at the vehicles.Despite the increase in temperature on what we’dexperienced earlier in the week, scenting conditions stillseemed very tricky and all the plentiful gameopportunities seemed to be squandered. The judges had6 ‘survivors’ for the second round and the first brace wasmy own Gamekeeper and Ned Butler’s HunshigoKestrel, both bred from Ivor Sewell’s fine red dog, RedStinger, who was bred in Donegal by Ned Devine. Afterjust a couple of long raking casts my red dog buckledround into some heavy heather on the far extremity ofthe left hand side of the beat and produced a single birdwhen asked. He was not run on at this point as he hadalready run well in his first round and the second round.The other 5 dogs were run on - given every chance - butall fell foul of the tricky grouse and were eliminated.This left the judges able to make only one award – firstplace to my IRSD Glynlark Gamekeeper. Gavinpresented the Guns Choice to Jon Kean’s PD FearnQuestren and spoke of the his admiration for the workdone by the Clubs and Secretaries and how amazing itwas to have a group of people from the far flung reachesof these islands travelling to the highland estates year onyear to participate in the Trials.

When asked to thank the judges, I pointed out howlucky we are as competitors to have access to such lovelyplaces, to have such accommodating estates and keepersextending a welcome to us each year and how we allhave a role to play in making the trials a success - fromthe hardworking secretaries and committees of the clubs,to the competitors who travel great distances and spendsuch a lot of time preparing their dogs and of course tothe judges who deprive themselves of a day’scompetition to take up the book and assess our dogs.Our Trials have a long history and I very much hope along future stretching ahead of us to look forward to.


Laurence McAlister thanking the judges after winning theSGA Open Stake with judge Dominic Goutorbe.

Ifound it difficult to concentrate at the bestof times, but today was near impossible.

Earlier that morning, my father’s friendVincent and his other shooting partner hadbeen setting up a pigeon hide in the fieldoutside my window. They had left for acouple of hours and when I saw the magnetwhirling I knew they were there. Every fewminutes the shots rang out and I kept turninground in my seat, knowing full well Ishouldn’t. I was hoping to see a bird hittingthe stubbles, or better still one of the mengetting a shot. My teacher becameincreasingly irritated, not by the shooting butby a young McGonigal who cared less aboutmaths and more about chasing rabbits withferrets and watching men shoot birds. Finally,lunch time came and I went straight out to thefence and got talking to Vincent. I rememberlonging to be in that hide with them; Iremember being in awe of them and the manyother shooters, hunters and fishers I waslucky enough to have known as a child, manyof them now gone.

I was very privileged to have grown up around menwho were masters of their sport. Vincent,who is nolonger with us as are many of the men I remember, wasa keen shot, a salmon angler and a real countryman. Hewas also a neighbour of a man called Archie Fleming,someone whom I am sure if he hadever taken up the pen would havebeen one of the many well knownnames of today. Archie at one timewas having work done to his houseand for quite sometime lived in acaravan. Most people includingmyself would detest such a move.Being turfed from the comfort ofyour home in mid winter to theconfines of a small caravan would bea nightmare for most, but not Archie.

I remember going to visit himwith my father and he would besitting in his caravan, a small viceclamped to the bench and amagnifying glass curved over it and

bags of feathers, furs, dubs and waxes sittingeverywhere. What amazed me most was that amongthese mallard wings, pheasant capes, silks and junglecocks, Archie never searched for anything but simplykept his eyes on the vice and reached out for what heneeded next. The smell of pipe tobacco, the warmth of asmall gas fire and the talk of big fish was amazing for akeen youngster. Poetry, times tables and other nonsensedidn’t interest me one bit and even less so when therewas pigeon shooting out the back. That day I might aswell not have been at school because as long as Vincentand his friend were in the field every word my teachersaid went in one ear and straight back out the other, fieldsports seemed a better education to me! How my teacherput up with me was a mystery.

When the class was instructed to create a scrap bookon a particular subject mine was on fishing. I took fliesfrom my father’s old sponge-lined tobacco tins and stuckthem in the scrap book, detailing each one and what itwas made from and my poor teacher had a job not toprick her fingers on the pages upon pages of salmonhooks.

When Christmas came around and we made cards forour parents, I presented my mother with a card whichcontained pictures of rabbits, ferrets and pheasants, nota Christmas tree or a bit of holly in sight! The otherpupils in the class had pet rabbits, guinea pigs andhorses but I had ferrets. I got my first two ferrets when Iwas about nine years old and never looked back since,


By Steven McGonigal

‘Till you are cookedyourself…’

A faded photo but the memories linger on.

only ever being without at least a pair a couple of timesin my life.

Des Tosh, was a local ferreting manThe first rabbit I ever caught was in my back garden.

My brother and I, some days after obtaining my ferrets,chanced upon a small warren to the back of the smallwood which bordered on our house. I carefully placedfive or six torn and bedraggled purse nets someone hadgiven me, with pegs made from skirting board andentered my new coney catchers which I’d bought fromDes Tosh, a local ferreting man. Within a few minutesthat all familiar rumbling, which still excites me to thisday, got louder and louder, until a brown ball explodedthrough the leaves and into my carefully set net. I landedon top of the rabbit and held it as tight as my handswould allow, before untangling it from the net andtrying to dispatch it the way I had seen the older men doit, which I soon realised I couldn’t do, and had to call formy father. That rabbit was important because, althoughit was one rabbit, it was massive for me. A rabbit that Icaught with my own nets and my own ferret; Iremember taking my school friends to the holeafterwards just so they could see where it was caught,such was the excitement at the time!

My school was small, very small and in fact when Iwent secondary school there were as many people in myclass then as there was in my old school. The groundswere amazing and we had free reign in them at breaktimes to do as we pleased. When autumn came around,conkers became currency and the biggest and best wereto be found on the school grounds high among the topsof the ancient horse chestnut trees. We were allowedthem, but only if they fell and the reason was that theolder boys that had gone before us had taught us that, ifyou armed yourself with a suitable stick or lump ofdeadwood from among the grounds, really goodconkers could be obtained by a strong throw coupledwith a good aim and, if you were lucky, you could knockthem right out of the tree. If you were unlucky you couldknock your class mate right out with that same stick orpiece of deadwood and so it was that the practicebecame illegal in school, although it never really diedout as long as we had a watcher in place.

A poem of guns and haresOne day in class we were doing poetry as we often did

and again I was paying little attention. I sat thinkingabout something or other, until in the background somewords caught my attention. “Have you snared aweeping hare? Have you whistled No Nunny andgunned a poor bunny, or blinded a bird of the air?” Myteacher was looking at me and my ears pricked up. Whatwas this poem talking of guns and hares. She read it

again, and I listened intently:

Have you been catching of fish, Tom Noddy?Have you snared a weeping hare?Have you whistled “No Nunny” and gunned a poorbunny,Or blinded a bird of the air?

Have you trod like a murderer through the greenwoods?Through the dewy deep dingles and glooms,While every small creature screamed shrill to DameNature“He comes - and he comes?’

Wonder I very much do, Tom Noddy,If ever, when you are a-roam,An Ogre from space will stoop a lean face,And lug you home:

Lug you home over his fence, Tom Noddy,Of thorn-sticks nine yards high,With your bent knees strung round his old iron gunAnd your head a dan-dangling by:

And hung you up stiff on a hook, Tom Noddy,From a stone-cold pantry shelf,Whence your eyes will glare in an empty stare,Till you are cooked yourself!

She stared at me, reinforcing every word and knowingfull well because of the content I was paying fullattention. I listened closely, as she repeated: ”Whenceyour eyes will glare in an empty stare, till you are cookedyourself. Then she looked at me fiercely and said,someday that might happen to you Mr McGonigal, andsmiled. Mrs Anne Gray was the name of my teacher andalthough I have had quite a few over the years she inparticular always was one I liked. That poem from thatday which is called ‘Tit for Tat’ by Walter De La Meremust have sat in the back of my mind until I came acrossit one day in a book a few years ago. As soon as I readthe first line it came back to me like it was yesterday, thepigeon shooting fields, the poem and the school.

All those days are gone, just like Vincent, Archie, JohnMcIntyre and all the old boys who nowadays really doseem to be a dying breed. Where have the men gone whoknew where the waterhen would lay her eggs, what gatea hare would go through or the best place on the river foryour fly? For us then, to catch a trout, a rabbit, or forsomeone to bring home a hare was everyday life.Sometimes, I don’t like to say it because it makes mesound like I think I grew up in 50s, but the world todayis a whole lot different even from what it was twenty


years ago. There have been many changes since then andI always look back fondly and feel glad that I grew up inthe area I did with the people I knew, for it was a ratherspecial way to grow up.

Final thoughtsThis summer came and went and although it was only

a few months ago now it seems like a long time but it setme thinking of Philip Lawton whom I first met atBallywalter game fair about four years ago. The plan washe was to become a policeman in pursuit of that‘Victorian Poacher’ and boy did he pursue me! We didour first stint together that year and afterwards I said toPhilip: “How did we get involved in this?” To which hereplied “That man Albert, but I am more worried howwe are going to get out of it!” We stayed in touch andPhilip and I became very good friends. He would ringme quite often over the winter and each time he did itwas with a new idea for the poacher orpoliceman, sometimes he had found somethingnew, a coat, a badge and then a proper R.I.C hat.More often than not I missed his call and healways left me a comical voice mail which mademe laugh. As most of you will know Philip

was a man of many talents, and was a gifted musicianand writer, writing under Plus Twos for Irish CountrySports & Country Life and Midlander for anotherpublication. But Philip had much more writing on thecards which unfortunately he never got to finish. Histalents on camera as the policeman really shone throughin a small sketch at Shane’s Castle with Harry Cook in2012, and he wouldn’t have looked out of place in Dad’sArmy or Last of the Summer Wine! Throughout the shorttime I knew him he was a great friend, a fantastic‘policeman’ and someone I am proud to have known. Soto Philip I wish to say thanks for the fun, for the real andgenuine friendship you gave me and the great memoriesI have forever, Thank you.

It is now about time for me to go. The evenings aredrawing in and my Lurchers are getting anxious. Theferrets too are keen and looking forward to resumingwork after their lay off. The Great Game Fairs of Ireland

have had a fantastically successful summer with inmy humble opinion the two finest Game FairsIreland, and I am sure they have plans underwayto do the same in 2014, and you know by now it

will be bigger and better as it always is. Have agood season.


A slightly older Author in action.

Flogas Ireland Ltd.

Tel: (041) 983 1041 Email: [email protected] www.flogas.ie

Flogas NI

Tel: (028) 9073 2611 Email: [email protected] www.flogasni.com

*Terms & Conditions apply. See www.flogas.ie/t&c

If you’re thinking of converting your existing oil heating system to gas or building your own home, talk to us about

our fantastic offer of 1,200 Litres of LP Gas for FREE* when you install a new Flogas Cosy Home heating system.

Flogas can supply everything you need for a cosy home including clean & efficient central heating, hot water,

cooking, gas fires and gas tumble dryers too! And, by converting from oil to gas you’ll have no more worries about

oil theft and you could even find yourself eligible for an SEI grant too (Only available in the Republic of Ireland).

Now that’s an offer you’re sure to warm to!

Flogas…clean, fast, efficient and flexible. The Flogas Solution

PUT FLOGAS AT THE HEART OF YOUR HOME…...AND GET 1,200 LITRES OF LP GAS FREE*

FREE *

1,200Litres of LP Gas

FR1,2

eLitrre

002

TPUAREHDNA...

OGALFYFOTARL 1,200 TEG

HTTAATSOGAOURY HOM

LFOSERTIL

EH…HOM

EERFSAGP

E

FR

E*

R

gniknihtre’uyofI

tastic offour fan

logas can supply evF

refisag,gnikooc

ou ct and yoil theft

as’’stahtwoN

nitsixeruyognitrvenocfog

as fes of LP Ger of 1,200 Litrffffe

orou need ffoything yerlogas can supply ev

otsryerdelbmutsagdnasre

ourself eligen find yould evou c

teruser’uoyrffeona

agotmetsysgnitaehliogn

ou install a new For FREE* when yffo

osy home including clean & efficienor a c

mrofgnitrvenocybd,nA!oo

oo (t tanror an SEI gible ffoourself elig

! otmrawot

mohnworuyognidliubrosa

osy Home healogas Cou install a new F

tingal heatrent cosy home including clean & efficien

monveahll’uyosagotliom

epublic of Iailable in the RvOnly aoo (

t uobasuotklat,em

em.stting syosy Home hea

,erta, hot wting

t uobaseirrworeom

eland).republic of I

t

a

eland Lrgas IloF

stahtwoN

…clean, fastgasloF

.

t

d

eruseruoyrffeona

t and fle, efficien…clean, fast

! otmrawot

gas Slohe FT. xiblet and fle

olutiongas S

el: (041) 983 104TTe

gas NIloF

el: (028) 9073 26TTe

onditions applyms & Cer*TTe

w.ie wgaso@floel: (041) 983 1041 Email: inf

om wgasni.co@floel: (028) 9073 2611 Email: inf

.ie/t&c.flogaswwee w. Sonditions apply

.iegas.floww

omgasni.c.flowwom w

In early May this year, I visited Cork for acouple of days fishing. I had hoped to have

a go at the bass before the close season beganin the 15th of May. I had originally intendedto go in April, but the long winter meant thetrip was put off several times. My contact inCork is Ross Macklin of Lee ReservoirsAngling Services. He knows exactly whereand what is happening as far as angling isconcerned and I am lucky to call him a friend.

Anyway I headed down on the train from Dublin andwas met by Ross. He immediately told me that he hadheard that a couple of bass had been caught the previousevening from the shore in Cork Harbour, so we couldhave a go for them that night. But first target was carp inthe famous Lough in Cork City. Ross knows these carpwell, as he is just finishing up a PhD on these fish. Thathe is a regular around the Lough became apparent assoon as we pulled up, when a teenager ran along thebank to us with a large carp in his net. He wanted toknow if Ross had a weighing scales and if he wanted totag the fish. The fish was weighed and measured,photographed and released. A fine Carp of 15pounds 8ounces, a specimen. First specimen carp I had seen. AsRoss got the gear set up and cast into what he predictedwas the right spot other youngsters came along to sayhello and seek advise. It was not long before a bite alarmscreamed and Ross grabbed the rod. Immediately youcould see the bow-wave as a big fish tried to get into theroots of the bushes surrounding the island in the Lough.

Ross halted this rush and gradually steered the fish intoopen water. After a good scrap he had it close enough forme to net. The first specimen carp I had seen caught, asit weighed 13 pounds 8 ounces. Shortly afterwardanother youngster arrived with a carp of about fivepounds with one of Ross’ tags in it. Ross recorded thedetails and it went off to be caught another day. Nexttime the alarm sounded I had my first Carp of the yearanother fish of about six pounds, not big but in lovelycondition. As time was pushing on we decided to get abite to eat before heading to the harbour to try for theBass. The tide would be right when we got there, aboutone hour after low water.

I have to admit even though they are probablyrecognised as our premier sea sport fish, I have nevercaught a bass or even seen one caught. I have tried manytimes with bait in many places but as with all fishing,catching a fish is a bonus. I have enjoyed trying. Thelight was fading and the tide was rising when Ross andI started throwing our lures into Cork harbour. He saidthat he was not sure how the fishing would be as hethought that everything was about a month behind andthe bass were not feeding on baitfish yet. That did notstop us trying. Rigged up with DUO 175 tide minnows30 yard casts were achievable in the wind. It was notlong before Ross announced “Fish On!” The bass glintedas I tried to keep it in my headlight as he brought itashore. The sight of this beautiful fish made me moredetermined than ever to catch one myself. Anyway thisone was lucky that Ross was the one who caught it, as it


By Johnny Woodlock

Three Firsts for Cork

Not weighed but it’s a nice double.

was quickly photographed and released. I have noqualms about keeping one for the pot. We had agreedbefore we started that no big fish would be killed asthese are the most valuable spawning stock and big fishover 10 pounds are often over twenty years old. Rosse’sfish was about four pounds weight and well over theminimum landing size. He told me that he might keep acouple of fish if asked, for a season when he probablycatches a hundred or so bass a year.

Another first for me seeing a decent bass caught. Ihave seen them brought up from a beach but not thewhole catching process. Despite Ross coaching me onhow best to work the lure, I only succeeded in gettingone knock later on that night. There were not many bass

about yet given the long period of easterlies this yearkeeping the water colder than normal. We fished untilafter midnight and called it a night and planned for anext quarry the following day.

Next morning, we headed to Carrigadrohid Reservoirwhere Lee Reservoirs Angling Services has five boatsmoored. Ross had the motor in the van and our targetstoday were perch or pike. Perch on small rubber jigs andPike we would try for with fly rods. There were anumber of anglers set up on the shoreline when we gotthere having been fishing all night. They were afterhybrids (rudd/bream, roach/bream) with feeder rods.Ian Mulligan had three specimens during the night. Weset off and discovered that the fishfinder had given upand we therefore could not use it to locate the schools ofPerch as we had hoped. We resorted to trying in variouslocations around the reservoir. We drifted over a largebay, trolling some rubber shad for perch doubled over.Unfortunately it was a pike that bit through our line forperch.

We quickly switched to the fly rods for pike givenhow deadly this method can be. Again this was my firsttime using big pike flies and I found it difficult to throwthem the required distance. Ross assured me that theydid not have to go far, as the Pike tend to follow themright to the boat before hitting them. I listened to hisadvice as I had seen the Pike he had got earlier in theyear on fly, which weighed an estimated twenty-sevenpounds. It did not seem long before I heard “It’s On!”accompanied by a big splash as the pike fought againstthe fly rod. It ran and jumped but eventually it was in thenet and resting on the unhooking mat on the bottom of

the boat. As Rosschecked to see wherethe fly was the pikeflipped and got hisfinger with a swipe of atooth. Anyone who hashad this happen tothem will know thatthis sort of cut bleedslike the slime on a Pikehas an anticoagulant init. It bleeds like thefinger has been openedwith a knife. The pikehad totally swallowedthe fly. We turned it onits back, which tends tocalm most fish down.Lifting the lower jawthen allowed access for


Bass from CorkHarbour.

Playing the pike on a flyrod.

the forceps to take the fly outwithout harming the pike. Then overthe side after a photo or two. It was agood double but we did not weigh it.The fly rod was well able to handlethe runs and pulls of this fish, againanother first for me to see this.

Soon, I had to head for the train sothat concluded a great couple ofdays fishing in Cork for me. I maynot have caught a lot but that isfishing, next time I might well becatching. I will be back, not only totry for these three species but also tohave another go at the shark off theCork coastline. Possibly even have ago at catching the Albacore Tunalater in the year. The bass get a breakuntil the 15th of June as the only seafish to have a closed season in Ireland. Ross haspromised to let me know when they are on.

Lee Reservoir Angling Services can be contacted ontheir website. I cannot recommend them enough. If youare wasting your time going down there after bass theywill tell you; if not they can put you on whatever fish

you want to target, sea or freshwater. Ross has over fiftyspecimen pins not including three brown trout over tenpounds this year which says a lot. For more information [email protected]@facebook.com www.leeangling.com


Ross with his specimen carp.

Obituary

Thomas McCormackThe light of the canine community dimmed

substantially with the passing of a dedicatedyoung country sportsman from their midst.Thomas McCormack left this world on Saturday17th August 13 leaving a void in the sporting andhunting community that can never be filled.

Born in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin on 10th August 1980 toparents Thomas and Georgina McCormack. Thomas was oneof a family of seven children, four boys and three girls.Predeceased by his younger brother Dara, his soulmate, thiswas the second tragedy to hit the McCormack family in thelast seven years. From a very young age, Thomas developed akeen interest in country life and all its trappings. This wasinherited from his father Thomas senior who, when thechildren were young, would take the family camping toGalway annually, and taught all of them to explore nature andtreasure the memories and values of country life. Throughouthis young life, Thomas created a menagerie of every type ofbird, from finches, to chickens and also his treasured caninefriends. Country life and country sportsmanship will be hisepitaph.

Thomas was laid to rest on Wednesday 21st August in

Mulhuddart Cemetery, Blanchardstown, Co Dublin.“Perhaps my time seemed all to briefDo not lengthen it now with untold griefLift up your hearts my canine friends God wanted me now, he set me free. “

Margaret McStay

North West Lurcher, Terrier, and Whippet ClubShow Sunday 12th May 13

Another great day of racing, showing, excitement andlaughter was had by all at the new venue of the NorthWest Lurcher, Terrier, and Whippet Club Show, held atKillynaught Road, Artigarvan, Strabane, Co Tyrone onSunday 12th May. This new show ground was superbwith a good long racing track, views to die for and loadsof room in the show rings. Ringside parking was laid onand a burger van to keep hunger at bay. The weather wasnot kind with torrential rain pouring down at times butdid not dampen spirits. This show is always a greatfamily day out with lots of fun and frolics, and we werenot disappointed. It was nice to see the usual show goersback this year, in the ring showing off their whippets,terriers, lurchers and hounds, maybe with a nice trophyto take home at the end of the day. Results:

Showing: Overall Best in Show Paul Reid ReserveClayton Hastings

Racing:Whippet: 1st: Charlene Rafferty-Lush 2nd: Gavin

Wright- BoltBull Cross: 1st: Brendan Creggan- Bolt 2nd: Brendan

Creggan-RubyOver 23” 1st: Michelle Rafferty- Zena 2nd: Mick

Moore- LadyOver 23” Elite: 1st: Fiona Devlin-Shogun 2nd: John

Lynch BlueUnder 23”: 1st: Charlene Rafferty-NinaUnder 23” Elite: 1st: Dale Wilson- Shadow 2nd: Fiona

Devlin- Diva

Florence Court Dog Show and Raceday Sunday 26thMay 13

Florence Court was the place to be Sunday 26th Mayat the Annual Dog Show and Race Day as part of theFlorence Court Country Fair. The venue was excellent,and was a very welcoming family day out in thebeautiful surroundings of this 18th-century property,and the former home of the Earls of Enniskillen. Thehouse enjoys a peaceful setting in West Fermanagh, witha dramatic backdrop of the Cuilcagh mountains andforests and has charming walled gardens. Every aspectof life in this classical Irish house, with its fine interiorsand exquisite decoration, are brought to life on somevery fascinating guided tours. Quite a few of our Caninefolk availed of this extra attraction on the day. Results:

Showing:Overall Whippet Champion David Best with Penny

Reserve John Shaw with Mango Overall Lurcher Champion Mickey Quinn with Lady

Reserve Glen Doherty with DieselOverall Terrier Champion Ian Heslip with GeorgeChampion Puppy John Shaw with Oreo Reserve John

Heslip with Molly


From Margaret McStay

Around the Terrier,Whippet & Lurcher Shows

Sales Director Gareth Connollyfrom sponsors RED MILLS

presents the prizes for the FiveNations Terrier Champion

Rushill Dodge and the ReserveChampion his brother Floyd.

Overall Champion and Best in Show Ian Heslip withGeorge Reserve David Best with Penny Runner upMickey Quinn

Racing:Elite Under 23” Rose Mc Coy with DiegoElite Over 23” Michelle Rafferty with ZeusLurcher under 23” Tom Barry with CopeyLurcher over 23” Anthony Taggart with Togs BessLurcher under 21” Fiona Devlin with AngelBull Cross Barry Holland with MistyWhippet Ryan Wright with Bolt

The NISDC Show held at Annaghmore RacewaySaturday 1st June

The Orchard County was in full bloom with the smellof its famous apple trees, as we drove into the heart ofapple country along the winding country roads that ledus to Annaghmore Raceway and the NISDC Dog Show.The weather was good though a little on the cold side.This did not dampen the spirits of show goers as theyarrived with their families and trailers in tow.With thebeauty of the countryside, good company, and the sunshinning, what more could we ask for on a great familyday out? The big attraction at this year’s show was theferret showing and racing. What an abundance ofentertainment these little fellows brought. When theferret racing began, the whole crowd erupted withwords of encouragement, laughter and excitement. Iwould suggest there should be a lot more of ferretshowing and racing at shows of the future, as they bringthe crowd together and start the day off on good firmfooting. Results:

Showing:Overall Best in Show - Mickey Quinn from Lurgan

with his beautiful Lurcher Lady. Reserve Best in Show - Janet Duke with Whippet

Finlay.

Sporting Whippet Club N.I. Show and Race DaySunday 2nd June

What a brilliant day out on Sunday with the SportingWhippet Club NI held at Dunsilly, Co Antrim. There wasnot a cloud in the sky as we set up the rings andprepared for the influx. This was to be the start of a greatdays showing and racing. There were some lovely cupsand trophies to be won, Results:

Showing: Best In Show John Shaw with BlueReserve Best In Show – Tracy Gill with Ash

Racing ResultsGrade ‘A’ Winner Michael Quinn with Blue Reserve

John Shaw with Mango 3rd Glen Doherty with Mac 4thBradley Dynes with Jess

Grade ‘B’ 1st Patsy McCoy with Rio Reserve MarkDoherty with Juke

Grade ‘C’ Winner Tracy Gill with Ash Reserve PaulMcNally with Jack

Puppy Racing 1st Graham Fyffe with Bolt ReservePaul McNally with Daisy 3rd Steven Dumigan withFrankie

Kiddy Slip Winner Brooke Rafferty

North Down Lurcher, and Terrier Working Dog ShowSaturday 8th June

I woke up Saturday morning 8th June to the sound ofthe dawn chorus, reminding me the day for the NorthDown Lurcher & Terrier Club (Working Dog Show)Charity Event had finally arrived. It was time for us toget our feet out on the floor, dogs in trailer, and headfor Movilla Road, Newtownards Co Down. They say thesun only shines on God’s people, well he certainlydished it out on Saturday in abundance for this show. Itwas nice to see so many folk out with there prized dogs,for a good day’s craic and enjoyment. There was a lovelycarnival atmosphere in the field with face painting forthe children, burgers, and an all round welcomingfeeling. Results:

Overall Best in Show Clayton Hastings with JakeReserve Best in Show Ann Forsythe with Poppy

Farney Harriers Dog Show Sunday 9th JuneI left home early Sunday morning to meet upn with a

few friends along the way, stopping off at McDonalds inNewry for breakfast and continued on our journey. Aswe approached our destination, deep in theDundalk countryside, nestling in the bed of the beautifulCooley Mountains was the venue for the second annualFarney Harriers Dog show and Race day. The sun shoneon us all day, and very soon the field was full to capacitywith cars, trailers, dogs, and families. The organisationwas impeccable, showing and racing went without ahitch and on top of it all beautiful weather. There was alarge attendance of lurchers, terriers, whippets, houndsand pets. Results (some):

Showing:Overall Champion Whippet Dave Horan with

Bear Reserve John ShawOverall Champion Terriers Stan Kelly with Boris

Reserve John Heslip with GeorgeOverall Champion Lurcher Brendan Mooney with

Duke Reserve Glen Doherty with DieselOverall Champion and Best in Show Dave Horan with

Bear Reserve Best in Show Brendan Mooney with Duke


CHARLIE KEENAN

10 Main Street, Toome, Co. Antrim BT41 3SATel: 028 (from RoI 048) 7965 9888 Mobile: 077744 29052

www.charliekeenan.com

The Tay designed for general country wear. The dual densityoil resistant rubber sole provides excellent insulation andshock absorption for supreme comfort. Breathable AirmeshLining.

Size 4 -13 Price £90

The Torray is a premium field sports boot with the Mossy Oakbreak-up camouflage pattern over the full surface of the boot.It has additional rubber overlays for reinforced toe, heel andAchilles areas.Breathable Airmesh Lining with extra fleece lining for superbinsulation and comfort.

Size 4 -13 Price £120

The Esk has a heavy duty sole making it ideal for agriculturalor equestrian use. Colours Black or Green. BreathableAirmesh Lining.

Size 4-13 Price £90

The Tay Sport has been specifically designed for countrysports wear. It has a sticky rubber sole with 5mm cleatsand phylon mid sole with additional rubber overlays forreinforcing toe, heel and Achilles areas. Breathable AirmeshLining with extra fleece lining for superb insulation andcomfort.

Sizes 4-3 Price £110

Tay Torray

Esk Tay Sport

The Greta are ladies boots suitable for both work and leisure.They have 5mm CR-Foam insulation and toe and heelreinforcement. They are available in Fuchsia and Violetcolours.

Sizes 4-9. Price £90

Greta

Alpina Trapper is an Italian made boot constructed from highgrade leather with an innovative Frasson sole with selfcleaning cleats. The mid-calf style features a deep, protectiverubber rand, soft kid leather cuffs, and metal lacing hoopsthroughout.

Price £225

Trapper

Man O War Dog Show and Race Day Sunday 16th June The town land of Man O’ War just outside Keady Co

Armagh, opposite beautiful Clea Lake was the venue forthe Man O’ War Dog Show/Race Day and DiggingCompetition Sunday 16th June 13. A tributary of theRiver Callan, Clea Lake flows radiantly along thewinding roads which lead us to this stunning part ofNorthern Ireland and the venue for this superb familyday out. Plunkett Rafferty, owner of the show field andfather of the organisers had the ground in mintcondition. With a backdrop of spectacular scenery andgood weather, this was the perfect venue for holding aDog Show with its brilliant race course, showing area,and ringside parking. The show was run withimpeccable organisation and the rosettes and trophieswere class. There was a very large turnout from northand south of the border, with a big turnout out oflurchers, terriers and whippets. Keady is noted for itsgreat trout lakes. John Lip Rooney was perturbed that hedid not bring his fishing gear with him. Better luck nexttime John. Results:

Racing:Lurchers Under 23” Paddy Mc Carthy with PIPUnder 23” Elite Nigel Greer with SunshineOver 23” Nigel Greer with PipaOver 23” Elite Jed Donagh Whippets 1st Bolt with Gavin and Ryan Wright 2nd

John Shaw with MangoBull Cross Barry Holland with MistyTerrier Racing Geoffrey Hutchinson with GruffAfter the racing was over, it was digging time. Off

came the shirts and in came the spades, shovels andpicks. Tango was there with his stopwatch and thedigging began. After the cheering and jeering and manybottles of water later, it was stop digging time. This wasone of the highlights of the day, and great fun.Congratulations to the winning team of BreandanColeman and his teammate.Results:

Showing:Whippets Overall Whippet Champion: John Shaw

with Tara Reserve Dave Horan with BearOverall Lurcher Champion: Breandan Coleman

Reserve Mickey QuinnChampion Terrier: Sharon Reid Reserve Breandan

ColemanOverall Best in Show: Breandan Coleman Reserve:

John Shaw with his winning Whippet Runner Up SharonReid with her beautiful terrier.

Tullylish Gilford Co Down Dog Show and Race Day13th July

Tullylish sits on the River Bann, along the main road

between the towns of Gilford and Banbridge. Itsbeautiful countryside and green elevated hills was theperfect setting. We were blessed with fine weather for achange and the sun shone brilliantly. From my ownobservation over the past couple of years our doggieshows have become real family days out. This was veryevident on Sunday by the turnout on the day and therewas just a lovely atmosphere. As I gazed around thefield, for a moment I thought I was on the Rivera withparasols, gazebos, summer chairs, salads, flasks,sandwiches, BBQs, and a few beverages, all broughtalong for the makings of a fun-filled family day out. Asthis show has not been on for the last three years, it wasnice to see so many of the old faces still on the scene, andalso quite a few new up and coming sportsmen andwomen coming to the forefront of the sporting scene. Onmy travels around the show, and chatting to severalpeople along the way, I bumped into Albert Titterington,out for an afternoon of leisure, and the odd chinwagwith the canine folk.

Results (some):Simulated Coursing: 1st Fiona Devlin with Maverick

2nd Clayton Hastings with JakeRacing:Lurchers Under 23” 1st Fiona Devlin with Diva 2nd

Jed Donagh with FlickOver 23” 1st Jed Donagh with Jess 2nd Fiona Devlin

with RallyTerriers 1st Liam Toner with Vixen 2nd Brian Crothers

with MollyPuppy Race Clayton Hastings with AnnieWhippet Racing Dave Horan with Bear

Showing:Overall Whippet Champion Davy Best with Penny

Reserve Davy Best with Harley handled by Janet BoyceOverall Champion Terrier John Heslip Reserve Neil

CunninghamOverall Champion Lurcher Johnny Wilson with

Scooby Reserve Glen Doherty with DieselStrong Dog Overall Strong Dog Champion Mark

Brown with Goldie ReserveDaniel Scullion with Sid.Overall and Best in Show Johnny Wilson Reserve John

HeslipNI Lurcher Champion of Champions Mickey Quinn

with Lady Reserve Fiona DevlinNI Terrier Champion of Champions John Heslip with

George Reserve Janet Duke with GeorgeNI Whippet Champion of Champions Dave Horan

with Bear Reserve Janet Duke with Finlay

Barron Top Dog Show And Race Day Saturday 20th JulySitting on the hillside, straddling the borders of

Strabane and Donegal, is beautiful Barron Top Fun Farm.


This was the venue for last Saturdays first ever Dogshow and Race day run by Barron Tops owner Mr.George McGerrigle. This brilliant show was organisedby Michael Lynch in the grounds of beautiful BarronTop Fun Farm. This location provides the uniquecombination of being interesting, educational, and veryenjoyable, and a real children’s paradise. This was veryevident on Saturday with the children enjoyingthemselves over at the animal farm, with slides, bouncycastle, and many more attractions in a safe environment. Results:

Showing:Whippets Charlene Rafferty with LushUnder 21” Jude Lynch with JillUnder 23” Johnny Hegarty with LeviOver 23” Charlene Rafferty with BulletOver 23” EliteJohn Lynch with BlueBull Cross Jonny Carlin with NinaWhippets Overall Champion Whippet John McStay

with Reilly Reserve Davy Best with PennyLurchers Overall Champion Lurcher Jed Donagh

Reserve Jonny CarlinTerriers Overall Terrier Champion Ged Donagh with

Spike Reserve Robert HamiltonOverall Champion Pairs Melissa Greer Reserve John

McStayOverall Champion Veteran John Mc Stay with SilverOverall Puppy Champion Michelle Rafferty with

Vino Reserve Mark DuffyOverall Show Champion Jed Donough Reserve John

McStayA Young Sporting Star Was Born At The Sporting

Whippet Club Show And Race Day At Dunsilly,CoAntrim Sunday 21St July - Hearty congratulations toyoung Pearse Reynolds on winning the Overall BestWhippet in Show with his beautiful pedigree WhippetPeaches.

DWTC Dog Show and Race Day (Tom Barry’s Show)Sunday 28th July

The beautiful Derrytresk/Coalisland countryside,with the smell of newly cut turf in the bog oozing out atus and the waters from the shore line of magnificentLough Neagh in view, set the scene en route to theDublin Working Terriers Club dog show and race dayrun by Tom Barry at FeaghBridge Racing Track,Derrytresk, Coalisland Co Tyrone. As we approached theimmaculately newly mown show rings and well rolledsandy race track, all in mint condition, it was evidentthere was a very big turnout of lurchers, terriers,whippets, and strong dogs attending this well organisedshow. It was nice to see so many families out for a goodday’s enjoyment with all their canine friends in tow. Itwas nice to see so many show goers and also some new

people making their debut into the canine world. That iswhy I love the show scene and doing my show

write-ups. I meet so many nice appreciative andinteresting people along the way, who love their dogsand love to hunt, show and race them in the appropriateseasons of the year. The sun beamed down on us all day,with the exception of a few showers in the evening. Results:

Racing:Whippets Gavin Wright with BoltLurchers Under 23” Alec Hagans with Gypsy,

handled by Davy BoydOver 23” Ryan Wright with SamElite under 23” Fiona Devlin with DivaElite Over 23” Michelle Rafferty with ZeusBull Cross Joint Heat Mickey Quinn with Lady Joanne

Mc Cormick with Casey

Showing: (some random results):Whippets Overall Champion Whippet Davy Best with

PennyReserve Davy Best with Harley, handled by Paul

ReynoldsTerriers Overall Terrier ChampionDessie Macken’s Soda, handled by Paul Mc Alinden

Reserve Terrier Champion Roy Nixon with RedThe Danny O’ Neill Memorial Spade, donated by Tom

Barry, was won by Dessie Macken’s Russell Spot, andhandled by Teri McVitty.

Lurchers Overall Champion Lurcher Paul ReidReserve Philly Mc Cormick

Strong Dogs Overall Champion Strong Dog GerryFinnegan with Ben

Overall Puppy Champion Kieran Young ReserveLeanne Hawthorne

Overall Show Champion and Best in Show went toGerry Finnegan, from Silverbridge, Co Armagh with hisbeautiful Wheaten Dog Ben.

The Irish Game Fair & Flavour Fine Food Festival, Birr31 August and 1st September, Birr

Racing Results:Terriers Overall Winner - Brian Crothers with MollyLurchers - Rough Coated Overall Winner - Brian

Crothers with Nell Runner up - Glen Doherty withDiesel

Bull Cross Overall Winner Redsor with Chino Runnerup Brendan Coleman with Bouncer

Smooth Coated Overall Winner Ryan Wright withBoris Runner up Paddy McCarthy with PIP

Bull cross/Rough and Long Dog Ryan Wright with BorisOver 23”Overall Winner Fiona Devlin with Shogun Runner up

Fiona Devlin with Chad


Under 23”Fiona Devlin with Diva Runner Up Raz Caine with

BellaUnder 21”Fiona Devlin with Angel Runner up Brian Crothers

with NellPure Bred Whippets Gavin Wright with Bolt Runner

Up Charlene Rafferty with LushWhippetsOverall Whippet Champion - John Shaw with MangoTerriers

Overall Terrier Champion - Mandy Hume with FloydReserve Champion Terrier - Peter Morgan with Chip

LurchersOverall Champion Lurcher - Sam Hennessy with

Kyser Overall Best in Show - Sam Hennessy with KyserPublishers Note:

Five Nations Championship at BirrHistory was made at Birr by Martin Hulme doing a

‘Master Mc Grath in reverse.’ “Eighteen sixty eight being the date and the year,Those Waterloo sportsmen and more did appear;For to gain the great prizes and bear them awa’,Never counting on Ireland and Master McGrath.” As you know Master McGrath went on to bear the

Waterloo Cup away from England three times!Well this year at Birr in the RED MILLS /Barbour/

Irish Countrysports and Country Life Five NationsTerrier Championships Martyn Hulme’s Dodge did the‘Master McGrath’ in reverse and just as Lord Lurgan hadsome difficulty in getting the ‘Master ‘ across the pond asMartyn was in Spain, his sister Mandy had to makespecial arrangements to get Dodge across for thechallenge of meeting up to 24 of the top terriers fromIreland, Scotland and Wales.

Dodge is a 6 yr old smooth dog, his line has been bredin Martyn’s family for the last 30 plus years.

He has had a terrific show career winning lots of huntshows in GB AND he won the National Working TerrierFederation’s Championship in 2010 and was res in 2011as well as winning it, the final English FN qualifier, againthis year - the only terrier ever to win it twice.

In some ways more importantly Dodge works allthrough the winter, Martyn follows the Ferniefoxhounds as well as working him on over 1100 acres inthe midlands.

His Progeny have just started working and winningso as you can see he has many attributes and the line wasalso successful in providing the runner up with Dodge’sbrother.

Martyn had intended to retire Dodge after hisgreat win in the NWTF championship but sportinglydecided to try to get him across to make his challenge inIreland’s top international terrier event at the Birr CastleGame Fair on Sunday 1st September. The fact thatMartyn was prepared to risk the dog being beaten notonly demonstrates his sportsmanship but also the highregard that the Great Game Fairs of Ireland titles areincreasingly gaining in the international terrier, lurcherand now whippet world.

And a great home win in the Five Nations Lurchers byFiona Devlin

The Five Nations Lurcher Championship prizesstayed at home when Fiona Devlin’s Maverick retainedhis champion title in a very strong field of lurchers. Thiscompleted a memorable weekend for Fiona as she alsotook all three elite racing titles.

More results from Birr in the Winter edition of themagazine.

Gareth ConnollySales Director ofRED MILLSpresents the prizesfor the FiveNations LurcherChampionship toChampion andrunner up. Also inpicture the threejudges.


THE 26TH ALL IRELAND TERRIER,WHIPPET & LURCHER CHAMPIONSHIPS

were staged at Shanes Castle, Antrim onSaturday 29th & Sunday 30th June 2013 theywere sponsored by Feedwell, Barbour and TheMaster McGrath Final was sponsored byBarbour, Irish Countrysports and Country Lifemagazine and Sarah Majury.

This year the Championships which are Ireland’slongest running and most prestigious terrier, whippetand lurcher championships were organised under theDirectorship of Tom Barry and the Northern IrelandLurcher Racing Club. Tom has subsequently resigned asChairman of the NILRC. For the 28th & 29th June 2014the organising responsibility for the 27th championshipsis in the capable hands of the Mourne Club and the newTerrier, Lurcher & Whippet Director at Shanes Castlewill be Kieran Young.

Pat McGrath won the Master McGrath – Ireland’spremier lurcher race; Rose and Patsy McCoy won threeAll Ireland Champion Racing Titles and in the showingDes Mackin won the supreme accolade of ALLIRELAND OVERALL CHAMPION WORKING DOG.Having won the ALL IRELAND CHAMPION TERRIERTITLE and then THE OVERALL ALL IRELANDCHAMPION Title against two other great champions. I

can understand Des’s frustration at another showproducing what appears to be simply a ‘copycat’ titlewith no real status or pedigree – i.e a ‘CHAMPION OFALL IRELAND TITLE’.

There is no doubt who did win the 2013 ALLIRELAND TERRIER, WHIPPET & LURCHERCHAMPION titles this was DES and his dog SODA!

ALL IRELAND CHAMPION SHOW WINNERSALL IRELAND CHAMPIONS: Overall In Show

Dessie Mackin Soda Puppy Dessie Mackin RushALL IRELAND CHAMPION TERRIER: Dessie

Mackin Soda ALL IRELAND CHAMPION LURCHER: Brian

Crothers NellALL IRELAND CHAMPION WHIPPET: Sammy

Bowers LadyALL IRELAND CHAMPION RACING WINNERSMaster McGrath - Winner Pat McGrath Joey Reserve

Fiona Devlin ShogunDirectors Challenge:

Rough Coat Lurcher: Winner Frank Kenny JackReserve Glen Doherty Diesel

Bull Cross Winner: Decky Gordon Sasha ReserveBrendan Cregan Ruby

Overall ALL IRELAND CHAMPION Director’sChampion: Decky Gordon Sasha

THE 26TH ALL IRELANDTERRIER, WHIPPET & LURCHER

CHAMPIONSHIPS

Pat McGrath’s Joey beats Fiona Devlin’s Shogun in a tight finish for the Master McGrath. (Photo Derek Laverty)


ALL IRELAND CHAMPION Terrier: WinnerGeoffrey Hutchinson Red Reserve Liam Toner Vixen

ALL IRELAND CHAMPION KC Whippet: WinnerPatsy McCoy Rio Reserve Graham Fyffe Bolt

Whippet Under 21”: Winner Charlene Rafferty LushReserve Rochelle Duffy Lily

ALL IRELAND CHAMPION Lurcher Under 21”:Winner Jude Lynch Jill Reserve Brian Crothers Nell

ALL IRELAND CHAMPION Lurcher Under 23”:Winner Jed Donagh Flick Reserve William Hill Mandy

ALL IRELAND CHAMPION Lurcher Over 23”Winner Ivan McCann Patch Reserve Timmy Clark Blue

ALL IRELAND CHAMPION Elite Under 21” WinnerRose McCoy Zola Reserve Janet Duke Sally

ALL IRELAND CHAMPION Elite Under 23” Winner

Rose McCoy Diego Reserve John Humphries ChinaALL IRELAND CHAMPION Elite Over 23” Winner

Fiona Devlin Chad Reserve M. Kenny NellIn 2014 Ireland’s most prestigious ALL IRELAND

CHAMPION TITLES will once again be Ireland’s mostsought after race title THE MASTER Mc GRATHCHALLENGE supported by the Director’s Challengefor Novice Dogs AND the NEW FIVE NATIONSWHIPPET CHAMPIONSHIP. The MASTER McGRATH & FIVE NATIONS are pre qualifiedcompetitions the ALL IRELAND LURCHER,WHIPPET & TERRIER CHAMPIONSHIPS are open toall comers and as such the title holders are recognisedas the REAL ALL IRELAND CHAMPIONS of theirYEAR.

Catherine Lawton presents the Philip Lawton MemorialTrophy (donated by Albert & Irene Titterington) to PatMcGrath winner of the Master McGrath.

(Photo Derek Laverty)

Des Mackin wins the Supreme All Ireland Champion Titlefrom Sam Bowers’ Lady and Brian Crothers’ Nell underjudges Tracy Gill, Graham Brennan and Tom Barry.

(Photo D.McCoy)Best pup — Des also won best pup.

(Photo Billy Harpur)

The McCoys won three ALL IRELAND CHAMPION RACINGTITLES. (Photo D. McCoy)


2013 was a sad year for us when ourcolleague Philip Lawton died. As most of

you know Philip was involved not only as adirector of the Birr Fair but also as arenadirector of Shanes Castle and as ROI editorof the magazine. We dedicated the successof the 2013 Great Game Fairs of Ireland toPhilip’s memory and thus there is simply noway I and the team could not deliver on this.The team responded magnificently withJohnny Mc Coy taking on Philip’s arena roleand Irene adding Philip’s record keeping andBirr communications role to her own.

If Philip was looking down on the team he would have beenproud of the work that they put in to deliver two of the bestGreat Game Fairs of Ireland ever. Philip will be remembered atthe fairs as our other late and valued colleague John McClellandhas been through two memorial trophies.

The Largest ever Game or Country Fair in NI I would like to thank all of those people and organisations

who participated in making the Irish Game Fair & Flavour FineFood Festival not only the largest game or country fair staged inNorthern Ireland but also one of the most successful in terms ofall the parameters of success.

It was a particular delight to me to see so many of ourrepresentative organisations, large and small, present andtaking an active role in promoting the event, sponsoring eventsbut most of all interacting with the huge number of visitorsincluding their members in the promotion and defence of ourcountry sports. This included for the first time the NARGC fromthe ROI making a fraternal visit and the Ulster AnglingFederation returning after several years to join FISSTA, NSN, IrishWorking Terrier Federation, The Six Mile Water Trust and theNational Woodcock Association of Ireland, in the well visitedSalmon & Woodcock Pavilion

Countryside Alliance had an enhanced presence includinghaving a larger marquee, hosting a special lunch attended andaddressed by Chief Executive Barney White-Spunner; sponsoring

the dog handling master classes by Dog Guru Keith Mathews andlooking to the future highly innovative championships in archeryand air rifle shooting for the Scouting movement.

The one organisation that did not take up their invitation ofa free stand was BASC. Since BASC and possibly two of theirfinest ever representatives John Richards and John Bond,attended the first ever fair at Clandeboye, this is the first time inthe history of the fair that BASC have not been present. I doappreciate that BASC are now heavily involved in the Moira NICountryside Festival but for them to miss interacting with thelarger shooting public at Shanes appears to me to be a seriouserror of judgement, not only in my opinion but one shared by aconsiderable number of their members and members of theshooting public to whom we spoke both at the fair andafterwards.

The Largest ever Game and Country Fair inthe ROI

We were amused to read that the fair at Borris was beingpromoted as ‘Visit the Carlow game fair, Ireland's leading gamefair, the National Country Fair at Borris House in Co. Carlow.’Now the history of this fair firstly at Clonmellon and then Borrislast year appeared to give absolutely no basis for this claim so wewere interested to see if this was just the sort of hype we have

become used to associating with this event. I amafraid to say it appeared that virtually the onlypeople who could even consider this to be the casewere the organisers!

However we thought we would let theperformance of our Irish Game and Country Fair atBirr expose this misguided claim for the absoluterubbish it was and so it did! Record crowds, recordnumbers of trade stands, great trading performancesand fantastic competition prizes and entriesdemonstrated to the traders and sporting public whythe Great Game Fairs of Ireland team really do deliverIreland’s leading game and country fairs at ShanesCastle, Antrim and Birr Castle, Co Offaly. Telephonecalls to our organising team, verbal communicationover both days, targeted market research and thehuge amount of satisfied customers on Facebook,lauding our efforts speaks of Birr’s REAL results – notunsubstantiated hype!

AJ’s AngstFrank opinion on the issues facing the Irish country sports scene

Winning Scout Jamie Orr receives his trophy from CAI’s Chief ExecutiveLyall Plant, while looking on (L/R) are sporting enthusiast Rev StephenMcWhirter, Game Fair Organiser Albert Titterington and SimonMcWhirter, Scout Shop NI.

Albert Titterington & Kieran Young being interviewed.(photo: Deirdre McCoy)


And so the two Great Game Fairs of Ireland move forwardinto 2014 with new resolve to deliver great game fairs interms of all of the parameters of success - no hype, noundelivered promises just steady, sustainable growth.Inclusion of the word ‘Great’ in our brand means just that -and as they say ‘we do what we say on the tin!’

The 27th All Ireland Terrier, Whippet &Lurcher Championships set for new heights

The 2013 and 26th All Ireland Lurcher, Terrier and WhippetChampionships were staged at Shanes by the NILRC under thedirection of its ex chairman Tom Barry.

However it was announced at the Birr Fair that in 2014 theresponsibility for taking Ireland’s premier terrier, whippet andlurcher racing and showing championships has been delegated toKieran Young and his team from Mourne. Kieran currentlyorganises the Mourne Show, which is widely recognised asIreland’s premier specialist show, and also the Mourne DiggingChampionships, which have their final at the Birr Castle Game Fair.

As usual the Master McGrath Challenge will take place atShanes and will be joined by a new Five Nations WhippetChampionships.

The Great Game Fairs of Ireland have given Kieran our fullsupport in the challenge to make the 27th ALL IRELANDLurcher,Whippet & Terrier Championships the best ever.

In 2014 the responsibility for the ROI Championships at BirrCastle and the Five Nations Lurcher & Terrier Championships willremain with Shane Lee and the Roscrea Club who organised trulysuperb events this year.

The Firearm Debate and some questionsThe debate over Firearms fees rumbles on and is causing not

only concern amongst shooters but with the trade. In this matterit would appear that the waters have been muddied by anapplication for certification for ‘young shots’ – does anyonereally think or even been asked for their opinion on whether arise in the cost of an FAC should be linked with this? With thegreatest respect to our ‘representatives’ I think the two issuesshould have been dealt with separately. Because there has beenlittle or no consultation with actual shooters about why shootersshould be faced with a swingeing rise in the cost of a FACrumours abound. I have dealt before with the lack ofconsultation between the representative organisations and theirmembers but this latest lack of consultation over a quite criticalmatter makes us think that it is time we had a hard look at thosewho are purporting to negotiate on our behalf. We think it istime to ask some pertinent questions to some of the participantsabout who they do actually represent. Now CAI have declaredtheir All Ireland membership at 10,000 but two of the otherorganisations involved BASCNI and the GTGNI appear strangelyreluctant to divulge their membership and therefore thenumbers for whom they speak.

So here are open questions to them:1. To BASCNI: Is it true that at the Northern Ireland Firearms

Control Liaison Committee (NIFCLC) that your representative didnot utterly reject the concept of full cost recovery with regard tofees?

2. To BASCNI: Is it true that at this committee a figure of £85was put forward without objection from your representative?Why did you not object or consult with your members over theproposed fee and the concept of full cost recovery being appliedto FACs?

3. To BASCNI: You are claiming to represent shooters andtrade in negotiations yet in spite of being asked how manymembers BASC have in Northern Ireland you have refused to

disclose this. I think both shooting members and shooters whoare not members plus of course the Minister and Dept of Justicewho appear to have acknowledged your legitimacy bynegotiating with you, have a right to know who you actually dorepresent. So an end to prevarication - how many individual andtrade members does BASC have in NI? What steps has BASCNItaken to consult with members? And what percentage of FACholders does BASCNI represent?

4. To the GTGNI: You have apparently got involved inrepresenting the interests of shooters AND trade in thesenegotiations - are you a regular game shooter? Do you realisethe implications of children as young as 10 yo shooting game?How many members of the trade do you represent? Whatproportion is this of all gun dealers in NI?

5. To the Minister of Justice/Department of Justice/PSNI:Do you know how many members BASC have in NI? Do you if

BASCNI have carried out a full consultation with all of theirmembers to get their views on this issue? If you can’t answer‘yes ‘ to both these questions why are you negotiating withthem if you are unaware of their mandate? Why do you notdirectly seek the views of the FAC holders?

Don’t get me wrong this magazine has and always willsupport our representative sporting organisations and giveplaudits when they are deserved such as when the NARGC, whoopenly disclose their membership, won a landmark victory onfirearms in the ROI and FISSTA (again who also openly declaretheir membership) led the case for the abolishment of salmonnetting. But those organisations who seek to represent us andspeak for us must be truly representative through consultingwith their members AND openly demonstrating their legitimacyby declaring their membership numbers. If they don’t the onlyreal conclusion that can be drawn is that they are embarrassedby the actual number of members they have within theirorganisations.

Wildlife CrimeI supported the release of red kites and was delighted to see

one soar over our house. Personally I dislike the use of poisonsfor any vermin control including even rats and mice. I always feelany animal should be killed as cleanly and efficiently as possible.So I have to deplore the poisoning of the red kites just as theywere gaining a foothold.

Let me be clear, I do not support unlimited protection forspecies which are reaching plague proportions. The protection ofsuch species should not be forever but should be reviewed whenpopulations reach a level where they become a pest. Elsewherein the magazine you will see how one species, the buzzard, thathas been protected until they are reaching plague proportions,attacked a very rare species – an osprey! We have had up toseven buzzards over my house on several occasions and earlier inthe year one killed one of my guinea fowl. I am also totallyplagued with another protected species (also reaching pestproportions because of over protection) – the badger.

They break my pheasant/guinea fowl feeders and eat theirfood, break down fences, dig up our lawns and newly plantedtrees and plants, and use our front lawn as a latrine. Apart fromthis, they have eaten our hedgehogs and pose a real threat to myneighbours’ cattle. When we first came here about 6 years agothere was one sett now there are several satellite setts.

We have had to resort to feeding them to try to minimisefurther damage to expensively sown lawns and my trees and I amseriously considering billing the Minister of the Environment forthe damage and expense they have caused!

I would love to see both badgers and buzzards controlled butcontrolled legitimately!


All new Dog Trecker Range in single axleor twin wheel

Dog Pens & Runs - no job too big

Keith is well experienced in cateringfor Estate Managers as well as

individual dog lovers -All 50 x 50 x 3mm weld mesh.

BVA ApprovedAvailable in mesh or sheeted

optional roofing on site

Following Keith McLoughlin’s comeback displays in 2013 at Shane Castle, Moy Fair, Dumfries & Galloway, Driffield and Birr Castle

All models have * stockboard floor-*Thermo Insulated Panels* LED Lights *

Lift Up Roof * Push open/close locks (keyalike) removable outer doors and

bars inside –double locked

Dog Cabins- Chew Proof & Maintenance Free

Panels - Thermo insulated Aluminium. Allcabins come as standard -

• Stockboard Floor (ensures no splinters orpawing) • Drainage Outlet (can hose out)

• Plygene Curtain Strips (extra as standard)

De Luxe -48ʼʼ x 32ʼʼ x30ʼʼ High

Small -36ʼʼ x 24ʼʼ x 24ʼʼ High

For that added testimony to ourworkmanship and quality, why not ask someof our clients, Andy Platt, Billy Steele, Davy

Lissett, Jim Monroe, Paul Dyson,Bobby Dalziel.

We have an excellent pedigree.

Also available - All new and in stock now

Whelping box 4ʼx4ʼJump - up beds3 sizes available

And Introducing the

Dog Transporterour “CUBE”

Ask for our demo video

Contact KM Team 028 37 552113 or 0800 999 7899www.facebook.com/KMdogtrailers50 Seagahan Rd, Collone Co Armagh BT60 2BH

Scotland (Nicola)07825 662619

England (Darren)07967 485487

Documents

Irish Country Sports and Country Life Magazine Autumn 2013